
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has initiated empowerment programme aimed at inculcating young Nigerians with skills in different fields in the aviation industry to prepare them for jobs in the sector.
One of the challenges faced by Nigeria is how to create jobs for the teeming youths and there is paucity of skilled manpower in the aviation sector. To address the challenges, NCAA intends to use the programme to prepare young Nigerians by equipping them with technical knowledge, which will prepare them to take up jobs available in the aviation sector.
To this end, the Regulatory Authority has kicked off the programme with the training of over 100 youths in the airport host communities in five zones of the country, which include Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano, Abuja and Kaduna.
The first courses that the beneficiaries will be trained on are Passenger and Baggage Handling and Airport Protocol and Logistics.
The skills acquired will also enable them to offer their services in aviation and related sectors of the economy.
Director General, NCAA, Captain Chris Najomo, made this known while addressing young graduates on the initiative, the Aviation Upskilling Development Programme (AUDP), in Port Harcourt on Monday.
He indicated that there are a lot of opportunities that exist in the aviation industry but the youths will have to position themselves well to benefit from them and that is through skills acquisition.
Najomo, who was represented by the Director, Aerodrome and Airspace Standards (DAAS), NCAA, Godwin Balang, recalled that in February 2025, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved a national structure for youth empowerment across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.