The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo on Monday said th Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is ready to collaborate with the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) which is the National Designated Authority and official focal point to address the impacts of climate change in Nigeria.
The minister who made this known in Abuja at the 2nd Consultative meeting on the Development and Deployment of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), Low Carbon Aviation Fuel (LCAF) and other cleaner fuels in Nigeria.
Keyamo, who was represented by the Ag. Director General, NCAA, Capt. Chris Najomo stated that the collaboration would also ensure that the country is not left behind in aviation environmental protection initiatives.
He said: “This meeting is borne out of the desire for Nigeria to develop a clear roadmap and set targets for the use of cleaner energy in aviation, in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Resolution on global framework on aviation cleaner energies.”
He further explained that the meeting was broadly in line with Strategic Objective number 5 of ICAO to minimize the adverse environmental effects of civil aviation.
“This step is not only laudable, but necessary for our airlines to be able to have competitive operating advantage not just in our sub-region, but in the continent,” Najomo added.
The Acting Director General, Civil Aviation, Capt. Chris Najomo in an interview said they are collaborating for the first time together with the NCCC using Implementation Status Report (ISR) as a stepping stone to help us in this flight.
“We are meeting and once we identify what stocks we use, we will take it from there. The fuel might be a lot cheaper, but the most important thing is to be a cleaner fuel. That is one of the most important things, to be cleaner and, of course, sustainable,” he said .
Also, the Director General of NCCC, Dr.Nkiruka Maduekwe said the meeting was the second one, adding that subsequent meetings would also take place.
She said: “That is why there is a conversation on Sustainable Aviation Fuel, and Low Carbon Aviation Fuel, and other cleaner fuels as well.
“The transport industry is one of the highest emitters of carbon emissions. Should we get it right in our aviation sector, we are going to get it right in our Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and that is the active step the government is taking.’’