In line with promoting aviation safety, security, and efficiency in the African region, the State Safety Programme (SSP) document will soon be published as the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) accelerates its completion.
The State Safety Programme (SSP) is an integrated set of regulations and activities aimed at improving safety in civil aviation.
It is required by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and is unique to each member State the SSP ensures the effectiveness of safety performance elements and addresses identified aviation safety risks.
As part of the process to develop the SSP for Nigeria, the NCAA is hosting the ICAO-West and Central Africa (WACAF) Regional Office of the African and Indian Ocean (AFI) Region Plan-state Safety Programme (SSP) for the Assistant Mission to Nigeria, which commenced in Abuja the nation’s capital.
The Director-General of Civil Aviation, Nigeria, Captain Chris Najomo, in his welcome address, said Nigeria will soon produce a draft document of the SSP and NSP to bridge some gaps.
“The document has gone through some of the processes that are required. “We have sent out the document to stakeholders for inputs, and we have feedback,” he stated.
Captain Najomo who was represented by the Director of Special Duties, Mr. Horatius Egua also said the NCAA has planned a few more programs like the physical stakeholders meeting by April 2025, and an SMS workshop for Chief Executive Officers of the various aviation agencies
because the SSP will not succeed if the CEOs in the aviation industry are not partners
He noted that technical support from WACAF-ICAO would help the NCAA bridge gaps that may not have been covered, adding that the technical mission program will also help the Authority fast-track the implementation of the SSP program.
In her remarks, the ICAO Regional Officer, Sonia Freitas, noted that the plan has the objective of supporting the States with the implementation of the SSP.
“Based on the mission, we will conduct various activities, not only on this side activity but also we will have remote assistance that will help you with the challenges you may encounter during the implementation of the SSP.”
At the end of this activity, the intention is to provide you with some feedback on the Progress you have and necessary recommendations for you to have a robust implementation plan so we can progress fast in the implementation of an effective SSP
“At the activity, the committee will provide feedback to the public on the progress they have made and necessary recommendations for the service providers to have a robust implementation plan for an effective State Safety Program implementation.”
The National Coordinator of SSP and the General Manager of Air Operator Certification and Surveillance NCAA Engineer, Iteke Ifeanyi further explained that the SSP is an integration of safety activities and safety requirements.
“It’s not that we have not been doing that, but now we are going to be more proactive and predictive because we don’t need to wait till an accident happens,” he said.
According to him, “part of the SSP would require that the service providers implement an effective management system, and within the effective management systems of the service providers they will be required to justify why they’re are continually being in operations through continuous collection, collation and analysis of safety data. That is what the SSP brings.
“There is a safety management requirement for the states and service providers. The service providers include airliners, approved maintenance organizations, approved training organizations, international general aviation operators, Federal Authority of Nigeria FAAN, and National Air Management Agency NAMA
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