Aviation industry facing shortage of qualified professionals- Keyamo

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Management, Festus Keyamo, SAN, on Friday said the aviation industry is currently facing a shortage of qualified professionals, leading to the recall and retention of old and retired staff.

Keyamo made this known during the unveiling of the Isaac Balami University of Aeronautics and Management in Abuja.

Keyamo said the university’s creation was timely and aligned with the federal government’s efforts to develop local capacity and technical expertise in aviation.

“African aviation is the fastest-growing sector. It is going to be the fastest-growing sector amongst all sectors in Africa in the next few years. We are expected to grow so fast that Africa will soon be looking for professionals, pilots, aeronautical engineers, and air traffic controllers. We need to be ahead of these dynamics. This could not have come at a better time”, Keyamo said.

He noted that the aviation industry is already facing a shortage of qualified professionals, especially air traffic controllers, and called on the management of the new university to prioritise training in those areas.

“We are short-staffed in certain areas in aviation, and even Zaria is struggling in those particular areas. We are short-staffed in terms of air traffic controllers, skilled professionals who are very difficult to produce