ARCO Worldwide Services Limited (AWS), one of Nigeria’s commercial drone operations pioneers, has obtained a Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA’s) certificate to run the ARCO Aviation Academy (AAA)
With this development, AAA became Nigeria’s first Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)-certified Approved Aviation Organisation (AAO) dedicated solely to drone pilot training.
The Managing Director of AWS, Okosubide Mozimo, who received the certificate on Wednesday in Abuja from the Director-General of NCAA, Capt. Chris Najomo, said the certificate has positioned AWS at the forefront of capacity building in the unmanned aviation sector.
Mozimo added that the Academy would effectively address the capital flight associated with the training of Nigerian drone pilots in other countries of the world.
Mozimo noted: “This has been a vision since 2016. We have logged over 9,500 Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flight hours, particularly in monitoring oil and gas pipelines for theft and vandalism. Drones are already revolutionising sectors across the globe, and Nigeria must not be left behind.
“This moment shows that perseverance pays,” he said. It’s not just about the license, it’s about building a sustainable drone ecosystem.”