NigerianFLIGHTDECK Travel and Business Reportage 
According to data from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the aviation sector requires a large pool of young professionals in all areas and departments to address problems that lack of succession planning may create for the industry in the future.
This is just as the body has craved the indulgence of critical stakeholders, either private or public to support any initiative that will provide training and retraining, scholarships, sponsorships, investment in capacity building.
Director General NCAA, Captain Musa Nuhu who made this known at the 6th Next Generation of Aviation Professionals Conference in Lagos with the theme: ‘Empowering the Next Generation of Aviation Professionals Through Scholarships and Sponsorships’ .
The DG represented by the Director, Human Resources and Administration, Alhaji Adamu Wakili noted that there is a growing demand for the training and grooming of a large workforce of young men and women in all sectors of commercial aviation because of the growth and increase in passenger traffic, cargo and airports around the country.
He said, ”Generally, global aviation sector is growing fast, aeroplanes are becoming bigger, flying faster and reducing travel time, there is mass movement of passengers and cargo within the orbit”.
”Airports are becoming larger and more complex, handling millions of passengers per annum, while meeting security challenges”.
He further noted that while the demand for technical skills are persistent in aircraft maintenance, flight operations, air traffic control, airport maintenance and management, achieving the goal of sufficient, skilled and efficient trained manpower would required a sustained synergy and partnership among critical stakeholders.
This Capt Nuhu stressed manpower development can be ensured via scholarships and sponsorships from organizations and well meaning individuals, especially to young aviators as this is fundamental to the sustainable development of the sector.
”I therefore crave the indulgence of every critical stakeholders present, either private or public to support any initiative that will promote the sustainable development of the aviation industry either through training and retraining, scholarships, sponsorships, investment in aviation infrastructure etc”.
He gave the assurance that, the NCAA will continue to spearhead the formulation of relevant and proactive regulations for the economic development of the sector while also progressively strengthening its oversight responsibilities to entrench safe and secured air transportation in Nigeria.
The NCAA boss equally commended MamaJ Aviation Consult for consistently promoting human capacity development and encouraging the youths to take up careers in aviation to help bridge the manpower gap in the industry.
“This conference is timely as it tends to address, introduce and mentor young Nigerian that are desirous and passionate to join the aviation industry, taking into account the urgent needs for more fresh hands in the aviation sector and invariably closing the gap created by ageing workforce to further develop and ensure succession plans for others to grow and take over”.
