I am very pleased to have chaired this year’s Airport Business Summit and delighted to be a part of an occasion that is intended to bring a new sense of direction to airport development in Africa.
Airport business worldwide has become multi-sectored and the delivery of safe and secure air transport services cum quality passenger experience is no longer a matter for aeronautic services alone but a comprehensive and diverse business system that covers aeronautic and non-aeronautic services.
In Nigeria, the airport business management is gradually evolving with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN) advancing in the direction of commercialization to enable the positioning of her airports to play a significant role in this change era where diversification of Nigeria revenue base is much needed to bring the economy back to a growth path.
To actualize this, a robust Airport Business Service (ABS) model for the 22 airports will need to be developed that integrates/includes technology and ICT in the facilitation of passengers and cargo management such as; self service kiosks, ground handling e-services, management information systems (MIS) for passenger monitoring and accelerated safe gate programmes among other solutions. A strong private public partnership at all levels is imperative to deliver these expectations and usher in a more successful airport business regime for Nigeria and Africa.
With the attendance of over 250 multi-sector delegates to this year’s summit, it offered a rare platform to network and discuss on key issues. A number of these issues where highlighted in the papers presented by leading industry speakers at the event. A report and communiqué based on the presentations and interactive sessions are compiled by the organizer of the summit, FCI International Ltd. This compilation is made public via paper publications, radio, TV and internet to assist in the extension of the discourse beyond the walls of the conference room and serve as a reference point for industry leaders to implement solutions raised in the communique. This forum may not be exhaustive of the challenges facing the industry today or offer exclusive solutions to resolving them, but it gives a good sense of direction towards making the industry better i.e. safer and with improved services comparable to international standards. The communiqué highlights some vital points that need to be closely examined and possibly adopted to help in repositioning the industry for growth.
I am very thankful for the opportunity to lead in the various discussions and we look forward to the possible implementations of the recommendations of the summit at various levels of government, agencies and organisations.
