Keyamo Foresees First Nigerian International Airshow Attracting FDIs

Kasim Sumaina in Abuja

Ahead of the first Nigeria International Air Show to be hosted in Abuja, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, yesterday inspected infrastructure at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA).He believes strongly that the event would attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) to the country.Speaking shortly after the facility tour, the minister noted that he undertook the inspection with his team comprising the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, the private organisers who are collaborating with the federal government, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Federal Air Force Authority and a couple of other people who are also collaborating with government.He stated that the show would kick off next Tuesday, and would run through to Thursday, with various events lined up every day, including an air display by the Nigerian Air Force on the first day and on the last day.

He explained that Air shows around the world are opportunities for those countries to showcase what their aviation ecosystem has to offer the world.

“So you know of the very, very popular Farnborough Air Show that holds annually or every two years in the UK. You have the Paris Air Show that has been on for decades and of course you have the Dubai Air Show.

“We just came back from the Dubai Air Show last week and those air shows actually portray and display the potential of those countries. So for us, this is the first time in the history of Nigeria we are doing an international air show and we are expecting foreign visitors, foreign airlines, foreign investors to come and see what we have to offer. So it is just a platform for Nigeria to showcase itself.”

Keyamo further asserted that “Some people may say, well we are still struggling with some aspects of our aviation ecosystem but then is it the chicken that comes first or the egg that comes first? Do you wait to get to the zenith before you begin to advertise yourself? In fact, this is the right time. There is no better time. At a time where we are at the cusp of development in the aviation sector.”

He explained that the present government led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has “helped us a lot in the aviation sector. You can see that we have rolled out a lot of policies that are now making the sector grow. In fact, the sector is poised for growth.

“I’m sure you have heard all of those statements from the private operators and how good this government has been to them. So this is the right time to invite investors to come and see where we are going and what we can do to help. And that is why we are doing the air show.”

On what the country will benefit from the exercise, Keyamo said, “First of all, this is even the beginning of December. You know? Because people are flowing in. We have a lot of visitors coming in from Sunday to come and see what we have. A lot of people have heard about Nigeria and the growing sector, the growth in the aviation sector. They want to come and see themselves.

“The products we have, the products other people around the world are willing to bring into Nigeria. Even our local operators will enjoy a lot of person-to-person diplomatic exchanges and business contacts. Air shows are opportunities for people to strike deals.

“So leasers are coming, financiers are coming also. There will be a lot of talk shows, a lot of seminars, and a lot of discussions going on. It’s not only display, there will be an air display. And then, of course, you saw the second marquee that we just inspected. A lot of stalls will be there. People will display their products.

“So Nigeria has a lot to gain. Nigeria is gaining international attention, potential foreign investment and attracting a lot of people into Nigeria. So the monetary value has been placed on it. Well, luckily enough, the federal government is not spending money on it.

“So it’s a very clever thing we did. All of this you are seeing, the federal government has not spent one naira on it. What we have done is to put our logo on it. We have put our franchise on it as federal government. We have made our infrastructure available, our runways, everything. And then the private people are coming in to invest.

“I have not authorised, as I am here as minister, to say we spent a dime of the federal government. Yes, we are gaining a lot of mileage, but we have not spent a dime. It’s a purely PPP, public-private sector participation that we are doing here.”

For safety reasons, Keyamo said that during the hour of display in the air, aircraft will not be allowed to land at the Abuja airport within that moment.

On her part, the Lead Private Partner/Organiser, Nigeria International Airshow, Bria O. Williams, stated that a lot of the local and international airlines are coming.

“You have OEMs like Textron. Leonardo Agosta is coming. So I will just give you a little information.”