NCAA appeals to BAG members for funding to boost regional aviation safety
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has appealed to member states of the Banjul Accord Group (BAG) to remit their annual contribution to improve aviation safety in the region.
The BAG member states include Cabo Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.
The Director General of NCAA, Capt. Chris Najomo, made the appeal while speaking at the opening of the 29th DGCAs of the Banjul Accord Group Aviation Safety Oversight Organisation (BAGASOO) Board of Directors meeting held in Abuja.
Capt. Najomo highlighted that funding has been a knotty issue affecting the sustainability of BAGASOO as contributions by member states have been the only source of funds for the regional body.
The DG NCAA said “We must not allow BAGASOO to suffer as it remains our pride and heritage as our lone Regional Aviation Safety Oversight Organization in the West African sub-region.”
Captain Najomo, who is the Chairman of the Board of Directors, urged the BAGASOO Technical Committee of Finance and Administration to explore additional revenue sources and appealed to Member States to endeavour to remit their annual contributions as and when due.
According to him, the meeting for the next two days would examine reports by three technical committees, including the Technical Committee on Training, the Technical Committee on Safety, and the Technical Committee on Finance and Administration.
The NCAA boss stated that the meeting will ratify strategic plans that would result in tangible accomplishments in line with the mandate of the committees and serve as a roadmap characterized by clear goals, KPIs and regional targets and benchmarks that drive greater progress, effectiveness and upward trajectory of BAGASOO.
He also disclosed that the meeting would review some impactful activities and projects, while the secretariat had been tasked to bring requisite manpower to efficiently execute the organisation’s mandate.
Capt. Najomo announced that in his bid to ensure adherence to due process and financial transparency as enshrined in BAGASOO, he had approved the secondment of an internal auditor from the Nigeria CAA to BAGASOO at the request of the Executive Director of the body.
The Executive Director of BAGASOO, Yailiza Silva, declared that the meeting highlights ongoing efforts to strengthen the governance, financial integrity, and operational effectiveness of BAGASOO.
Silva emphasized the need to ensure the sustainability and efficiency of the organisation, stressing that the regional body is working towards looking for alternative sources of funding for the organisation to make meaningful progress.
“The financial stability of BAGASOO is directly dependent on the timely and full payment of contributions by member states. These payments are essential in sustaining our operations to implement critical programs, and fulfilling our mandate effectively,” she added.
