Keyamo Visits Dublin Aviation School, Seeks Nigeria-Ireland Collaboration on Aviation Training

Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo SAN, is in Dublin for the 8th Africa-Ireland Trade Horizon Conference, where he is engaging in high-level talks aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation in aviation, infrastructure, and human capital development.

As a special guest at the annual forum, which brings together leaders from Africa and Ireland to foster mutually beneficial trade and development initiatives, Keyamo is expected to highlight Nigeria’s commitment to deepening international partnerships under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

On the sidelines of the conference, the Minister visited Newcastle Aerodrome Aviation School in County Wicklow, where he was accompanied by Mrs. Ibiyemi Ajiboye-Roberts, Charge D’Affaires of the Nigerian Embassy in Ireland. They were received by the institution’s CEO, Mr. John Nugent.

During the visit, Keyamo toured the school’s aviation training facilities, including its Viper SD4 trainer aircraft fleet, simulation laboratories, classrooms, and aircraft maintenance hangars. According to Tunde Moshood, Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Honourable Minister, the visit was aimed at exploring collaborative opportunities between the school and the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria.

Key areas discussed included the development of a joint aviation training curriculum aligned with global standards, the establishment of a pilot licensing exchange programme between Ireland and Nigeria, and the promotion of technical training in aircraft engineering and air traffic control to address Nigeria’s expanding aviation workforce needs.

The Minister commended the institution for its high standards and expressed Nigeria’s readiness to pursue meaningful international partnerships that will boost domestic capacity and advance the country’s aviation value chain.

The visit, Moshood added, reflects the Ministry’s ongoing efforts to reposition Nigeria as a continental hub for aviation excellence through innovation, capacity development, and strategic international cooperation.