NCAA to Publish State Safety Programme to Boost Aviation Security

In a bid to promote 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 SSP is an integrated set of regulations and activities designed to enhance 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 Nigeria’s SSP, 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, stated that Nigeria will soon produce a draft SSP and National Safety Plan (NSP) to bridge existing gaps.

“The document has gone through some of the required processes. We have sent it out to stakeholders for input, and we have received feedback,” he said.

Captain Najomo, who was represented by the Director of Special Duties, Mr Horatius Egua, also noted that the NCAA has planned further engagements, including a physical stakeholders’ meeting in April 2025 and a Safety Management Systems (SMS) workshop for Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of various aviation agencies.

“The SSP will not succeed if the CEOs in the aviation industry are not partners,” he emphasised.

He added that technical support from WACAF-ICAO would assist the NCAA in addressing gaps that may not yet have been covered. The technical mission programme will also help the Authority fast-track the implementation of the SSP.

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In her remarks, ICAO Regional Officer Sonia Freitas highlighted that the initiative aims to support states in implementing the SSP.

“Based on the mission, we will conduct various activities, not only on-site but also remotely, to assist you with the challenges you may encounter during the implementation of the SSP,” she said.

“At the end of this activity, the intention is to provide you with some feedback on your progress and necessary recommendations to ensure a robust implementation plan so we can advance rapidly towards an effective SSP.”

The National Coordinator of the SSP and General Manager of Air Operator Certification and Surveillance at the NCAA, Engineer Iteke Ifeanyi, further explained that the SSP integrates safety activities and regulatory requirements.

“It’s not that we have not been doing this, but now we are going to be more proactive and predictive because we don’t need to wait until an accident happens,” he said.

According to him, “Part of the SSP requires service providers to implement an effective management system. Within these management systems, service providers must justify their continued operations through the continuous collection, collation, and analysis of safety data. That is what the SSP brings.”

“There is a safety management requirement for both the state and service providers. The service providers include airlines, approved maintenance organisations, approved training organisations, international general aviation operators, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).”