AVIATION Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI) has proposed that Government should provide enabling environment, reflected in enabling institutional, legal, regulatory, monitoring and evaluation framework for Nigeria’s aviation infrastructure to be developed.
This is just as the think tank group has said that with four airports generating 87% of total revenue from 22 airports in Nigeria and a record of about eight million air travellers from over 200 million population, Nigeria remains a good infrastructure investment destination if existing opportunities are properly harnessed.
The ASRTI made this known in its 24-point communique issued at the end of an aviation webinar: Financing Aviation Infrastructure Deficit in Nigeria Using Private Capital: Challenges and Prospects
The group in its communique said,”The interest of aviation infrastructure users and service consumers must be in the front burner during decision making while they should be consulted by private capital providers and government policy decision makers on aviation infrastructure development to avoid retrogressive conflicts both in the process and at completion of such projects.
“Performance reward system for manpower must be in place while training and competence of personnel in aviation infrastructure operations and management should be given priority of place in decision making.
It continued, “There is need to improve access to private capital for financing aviation infrastructure by ensuring ease of doing business, access to low interest rate loans, reduction of business risk for investors, access to multilateral financing and long term tenure for debts (10 to 20 years).
“Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements on aviation infrastructure must come with investment protective laws and enforceable provisions as well as full disclosure by private capital entrepreneurs to ensure accountability, transparency and confidence in such partnership arrangements.
The group also proposed that there is need to identify key aviation infrastructure needs that require urgent intervention and prioritize them, as well as take inventory of areas of aviation infrastructure deficit and respond, using Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) Analysis.
It further stressed that Government should minimize political considerations in taking decisions regarding aviation infrastructure investments proposed by aviation economists and stakeholders.
The ASRTI urged the Nigerian government to salvage its image regarding perception that it hardly honours contractual agreements on infrastructure, as this can help to re-energize interest in aviation infrastructure investment in the country.
