To effectively integrate drones into the National Airspace, the Acting Director General of Civil Aviation Nigeria, Captain Najomo recently approved the creation of a dedicated UAS Integration Unit in the NCAA to act as a hub for the registration, licensing, and monitoring of UAS.
The UAS Integration Unit will partner with relevant stakeholders in the aviation industry to oversee the increasing use of drones in Nigeria and ensure that they are used subject to NCAA rules regulating the sub-sector. It is now mandatory to obtain a remote pilot licence to operate a drone in Nigeria.
Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has called on aviation industry stakeholders to collaborate and explore ways of leveraging the uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) sub-sector for national development.
Keyamo said the widespread use of UAS highlights its further potential in aviation development, adding that Nigeria has been proactive in embracing the technology, as the country hosted the first ever International Civil Aviation Organization Remotely Piloted Aircraft System in Africa symposium in 2017.
Keyamo pledged the assistance of the aviation ministry in ensuring that uncrewed airspace in Nigeria is positioned to support agriculture, health, construction and logistics with projections indicating a USD260 billion market by 2030. He added that the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is tasked with providing a robust oversight to ensure safe and secure UAS operations while assuring that the Authority will be supported by other aviation agencies under his Ministry’s supervision.
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