Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo SAN, is currently in Dublin on a working visit, where he is participating as a special guest at the ongoing 8th Africa-Ireland Trade Horizon Conference.
The annual conference brings together government and business leaders from Africa and Ireland to strengthen diplomatic relations, promote investment opportunities, and foster mutually beneficial development partnerships. The Minister’s participation reflects Nigeria’s growing commitment to enhancing international cooperation, particularly in aviation, infrastructure, and technical education, as part of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.
While in Dublin, the Honourable Minister, accompanied by the Charge D’Affaires of the Nigerian Embassy in Ireland, Mrs. Ibiyemi Ajiboye-Roberts, undertook a strategic technical visit to Newcastle Aerodrome Aviation School, located in Wicklow County. The Nigerian delegation was warmly received by the Chief Executive Officer of the institution, Mr. John Nugent.
During the visit, the Minister toured the school’s impressive training facilities, which include a fleet of Viper SD4 trainer aircraft, cutting-edge simulation laboratories, modern classrooms, and aircraft maintenance hangars. He engaged in in-depth discussions with the management team on the possibility of forging a collaborative partnership between Newcastle Aerodrome and the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria.
The proposed partnership aims to foster the joint development of aviation training curricula tailored to modern global standards, establish a collaborative pilot licensing programme between Ireland and Nigeria, and enhance the development of ancillary aviation skills such as aircraft engineering and air traffic control. These initiatives are targeted at meeting Nigeria’s rapidly growing aviation manpower needs.
Speaking during the tour, Minister Keyamo praised the institution for its innovation and longstanding track record in aviation training. He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s readiness to enter into mutually beneficial partnerships that would not only enhance the capacity of domestic aviation institutions but also position Nigeria as a regional hub for aviation excellence.
“We are keen on leveraging global expertise to strengthen our local aviation training capacity,” the Minister said. “This visit is part of our broader strategy to build sustainable, high-quality manpower for the Nigerian aviation industry. Collaborations like this are vital to achieving our vision.”
The Honourable Minister added that international cooperation in aviation training is one of the most effective ways to future-proof Nigeria’s aviation ecosystem, especially in line with the transformative goals outlined in the Renewed Hope Agenda.
In a statement, Tunde Moshood, Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, noted that the visit underscores the Ministry’s ongoing efforts to reposition the aviation sector through innovation, human capital development, and strategic global partnerships.
“This visit is not just symbolic it reflects the Ministry’s unwavering commitment to driving progress in Nigeria’s aviation sector through meaningful collaborations and capacity building,” Moshood said.
The Dublin visit further cements Nigeria’s pushed to improve its global aviation footprint and opens a new chapter in international cooperation between Nigerian and Irish aviation institutions.
