The Federal government has unveiled 16 transaction advisers appointed for the six projects in the Aviation programme of the Buhari administartion.
Unveiling the advisers at the 4th stakeholders’ forum in Abuja, Minister of State, Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, said the exercise was in line with the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC) guidelines and Public Procurement Act 2007.
He said the Transaction Advisers have all commenced work and are liaising with the Project Delivery Team, adding that all the TAs except the one for the National Carrier were engaged in May, 2017 and had a 9-month contract duration.
The deliverables by the Transaction Adviser include;
Outline Business Case for adopting PPP methodology; Development of a well-structured PPP procurement process to select a PPP Partner; Preparing the Full Business Case (FBC) as well as supporting the Ministry to obtain FBC Compliance Certificate from ICRC, FEC approval and progress transaction up to financial closure.
The projects and their advisers are: Concession of four Airports (Abuja, Lagos, Kano and Port-Harcourt): The consortium comprises of five firms with vast experience and expertise in Airport Management, PPP Legal Advice, Finance, Project and Construction Management, Environmental and Social Services as follows: Infrata – The Project lead, is a United Kingdom based Infrastructure Transaction Support Consultancy which provides commercial, technical and traffic related advice on behalf of lenders, investors and sponsors.
Dentons – Is an international law firm based in London with experience in project advisory services across both developed and emerging markets.
Rebel – Specialises in economics, feasibility, financing and transaction advisory for projects in all infrastructure sectors.
WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff– One of the world’s leading engineering Professional services consulting firms with over 75 years’ experience in the aviation sector and based in more than 39 countries worldwide.
Proserve– Project Coordination, Construction Management Expert and Local Legal Expert.
Establishment of Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) Centre and Aviation Leasing Company: The consortium comprises of five firms with vast experience in the aviation industry as follows:
Arup UK – An independent firm of designers, planners, engineers, consultants and technical specialist offering a broad range of professional services.
Catamaran Nigeria Limited – A Nigerian company providing specialized consultancy services for infrastructure development with special bias for transportation.
RDC Aviation Economics UK – An aviation industry experts with experience spanning airports, airlines, manufactures and investors
Aubert Business Consulting UK – An international business management consultancy firm with expertise in market research, business model and supply chain management.
Olawoyin & Olawoyin – A firm of legal practitioners with focus on all facets of corporate, securities, maritime, foreign investment and litigation matters.
Development of an Aerotropolis & Development of Cargo/Agro Allied Terminals: The consortium comprises of three (3) firms:
The Infrastructure Bank Plc –In line with its Establishment Act, the Bank has the mandate to raise and manage funds for infrastructure development projects in the country.
Others are PWO GIBB of Johannesburgand Abdulai Taiwo & Co- This is a full service commercial and IP law firm with a long standing reputation for excellence.
He said the Outline Business Case shall on completion and due approval by relevant authorities, be presented to interested investors.
Establishment of National Carrier: The consortium comprises three firms as follows:
Airline Management Group Ltd– A UK based firm with experience and expertise in Airline Start Ups and turn around which has led some of the most successful transformation and cost reduction programme in the Aviation industry.
Avia Solutions Ltd and Tianerro FZE.
Sirika, who earlier itemised the achievements of the current administration, said in spite of the progress made, the industry is still faced with some challenges including high cost of Jet A1; Budgetary constraints and slow pace of infrastructural development; high rate of equipment /instrument obsolescence and degradation, apart from inadequate Technical and Aging Workforce.
He however said the challenges were surmountable adding that stakeholders’ engagement remains the Ministry’s strategic approach for obtaining inputs and feedback from key stakeholders in the sector for policy formulation, programme development and refining of strategies for implementation of plans.
Progress in the implementation of the roadmap according to Sirika include: Improvement in Aviation Safety and Security Certification of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA) Ikeja, Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority in line with the guidelines and procedures stipulated by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO);
World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Certification of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) formconforming to the requirements of (ISO 9001 2015) for the provision of meteorological services to the aviation industry and other stakeholders. Nigeria is the only Country to achieve (ISO 2009 2015) in Africa.
Upgrade of meteorological stations in Nigerian universities nation-wide for Research Training and Development (RTD); the inauguration of Project Steering Committee (PSC) and Project Delivery Team (PDT) as well as the engagement of Transaction Advisors for six key projects within the Sector.
Recent installation of Low Level Wind Shear Alert System (LLWAS) at Katsina Airport, Ilorin and Kaduna; installation of Tidal Gauge at NIMET Marine Station, Eket National and international collaborative partnership on improved weather and climate services delivery and review of various BASAs to bring them up to date on current issues and create opportunities for domestic carriers to fly international routes, among others.
