Pecohub Nigeria’s aviation compliance rating under the Cape Town convention has risen to 75.5%, reflecting significant progress in aligning with global aviation financing standards.
The minister of aviation and aerospace development, Festus Keyamo, announced the achievement on Tuesday, November 11, at the Cape Town convention Africa event held in Abuja.
The two-day conference, jointly organized by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, the Aviation Working Group (AWG), and the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), brought together regulators, financiers, legal experts, and policymakers from across Africa.
Represented by Anastasia Gbem, director of human resources and administration, Keyamo said the new rating reflects Nigeria’s stronger commitment to international best practices in aviation governance.
“Nigeria’s Cape Town Convention compliance score has risen from 70.5% to 75.5% following the signing and implementation of the Irrevocable Deregistration and Export Request Authorization (IDERA) procedure and Practice Direction,” she said.
She added that the milestone reinforces Nigeria’s position as a regional leader in aviation law reform, signaling to global investors that the country is open for business on globally accepted terms.
Keyamo noted that the Cape Town convention, ratified by 28 African countries, has transformed global aircraft financing by lowering credit risks and improving access to capital.
He urged African nations to harmonize their implementation of the convention, stressing that its full benefits can only be realized through collaboration and legal alignment across the continent.
He said, “The Cape Town Convention is not just a legal framework; it is a tool for sustainable aviation growth.
“We must ensure it translates into lower financing costs, easier access to modern aircraft, improved investor confidence, and greater operational efficiency.”
The director general of the NCAA, Chris Ona Najomo, represented by Donald Tonye Spiff, explained that Nigeria’s progress was the result of years of regulatory reforms and judicial improvements.
He highlighted that the practice directions signed by Keyamo in September 2024 had provided clearer guidance for Nigerian courts handling aircraft financing cases.
He stated, “The practice direction serves as a legal tool for adjudicating aircraft financing matters in the federal high court.
“It helped raise Nigeria’s compliance score from 49% to 75.5%.”
The event also featured moot court sessions, where legal practitioners explored complex case scenarios under the convention an initiative designed to develop a new generation of aviation law experts.
Augustine Akobundu, representing the chairman of the senate committee on aviation, reaffirmed the national assembly’s support for reforms aligning Nigeria’s aviation laws with global standards.
“Effective domestication and implementation of the Cape Town convention will unlock Africa’s full aviation potential,” he said.
