African Development Bank (AFDB) has appointed Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo as African champion for its Integrated Aviation Transformation Programme for Africa (IATP).
The programme is backed by $7 billion and is aimed at improving the aviation sector across the continent.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the minister’s spokesman Tunde Moshood, the bank said Minister Keyamo had been invited to its annual meeting scheduled for May 28 in Brazzaville, Congo, where the letter of intent between Nigeria and the bank would be signed.
According to the statement, the programme is designed to modernise Africa’s aviation system and attract private and institutional investment into the sector.
“The Integrated Aviation Transformation Programme for Africa is a continent-wide platform designed to modernize Africa’s aviation ecosystem and mobilize private, institutional, and concessional capital,” the statement said.
The bank noted that African airlines currently account for less than three percent of global air traffic despite the continent having about 18 percent of the world’s population.
It added that Keyamo would help drive the programme across Africa.
“The aviation minister is now expected to bring his knowledge, commitment and passion to drive this program in the whole of Africa,” the statement added.
The bank also thanked Festus Keyamo for his role in supporting aviation development on the continent.
