Nigeria Hosts BAGAIA Board Meeting, Recommits to Regional Aviation Safety

Nigeria has hosted the Extraordinary Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Banjul Accord Group Accident Investigation Agency (BAGAIA), with member states reaffirming their commitment to strengthening regional cooperation and aviation safety across West Africa.

The meeting, held in Abuja from August 4 to 7, brought together members of the BAGAIA Board of Directors, Directors-General of Civil Aviation, the Head of the Banjul Accord Group (BAG) Secretariat, the BAGAIA Commissioner and other delegates from BAG member states.

According to a statement posted on the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority’s (NCAA) X handle on Thursday, the meeting focused on governance, operational and strategic issues aimed at strengthening the regional accident investigation agency.

Welcoming delegates, the Director-General of Civil Aviation, Capt. Chris Najomo, described the meeting as an important platform for addressing challenges facing BAGAIA and advancing aviation safety across the region.

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“He urged delegates to engage in open and constructive deliberations that would strengthen the Agency’s institutional capacity and ensure its continued contribution to aviation safety across the region.”

The statement said participants considered a wide range of issues affecting the agency, including the recruitment and employment conditions of the BAGAIA Commissioner, the agency’s financial position and member states’ contributions, implementation of decisions of the BAG Council of Ministers, operational and strategic activities, expansion and staffing requirements, as well as the contractual status of the Training Support/Technical Director.

A major outcome of the meeting was the election of Engr. Jorge Manuel Rodrigues of Cape Verde as the new Chairperson of the BAGAIA Board of Directors, following the expiration of the tenure of the previous chairperson in line with the agency’s governance framework.

The NCAA said the meeting ended with member states reaffirming their commitment to strengthening BAGAIA’s governance structure, improving its financial sustainability, enhancing institutional capacity and promoting greater regional collaboration in support of aviation safety.

“The meeting reaffirmed the commitment of BAG member states to strengthen BAGAIA’s governance, enhance financial sustainability, improve institutional capacity and foster greater regional collaboration in support of aviation safety within the BAG region.”

BAGAIA is an independent regional agency under the Banjul Accord Group responsible for investigating aircraft accidents and incidents, building aviation safety capacity and promoting safety standards across its member states, including Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.