- Annexes Planned for Five Geopolitical Zones
- Consultancy Services for PPP Projects to Cost N1.6bn
The Federal Government has earmarked N3.68 billion in the 2025 budget to establish annexes of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) across five geopolitical zones. This initiative aims to decentralize aviation training and expand access to the country’s foremost aviation training institution, established in 1964 and recognized as a Regional Training Centre by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
Currently, NCAT operates only one annex in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital and aviation hub. The planned annexes will be located in Akure (South-West), Osubi (South-South), Ebonyi (South-East), Ilorin (North-Central), and Yola (North-East). The project is classified as a new initiative in the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development’s budget.
In addition to the NCAT expansion, the government has allocated N1.6 billion for consultancy services and transaction advisers on various Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects. These include N800 million for the concession of five airport terminals and another N800 million for projects like maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO), aerotropolis development, agro-allied cargo terminals, and upgrades to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) headquarters.
The airport concession program, initially championed by the previous administration under former Minister of Aviation Senator Hadi Sirika, faced stiff opposition from aviation unions and stakeholders. Despite the resistance, the government announced the concessioning of Lagos’ Murtala Muhammad International Airport (MMIA) and Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) to the Corporacion American Airport Consortium before the administration’s tenure ended.
The consortium, comprising Corporation American Airports, Mota Engil Africa, and Mota Engil Nigeria, committed to upfront payments of $7 million for NAIA and $1.5 million for MAKIA. However, the incoming Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, has since suspended these projects, though he affirmed that plans for airport concessioning remain under consideration.
The NCAT expansion reflects the government’s commitment to enhancing aviation capacity and spreading training opportunities across the country, while also revisiting contentious airport concession plans to align with broader infrastructural goals.
