Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has assumed a new regional leadership role following his appointment as chairperson of the West Africa Banjul Accord Group.
Keyamo made the announcement via his official X account on Thursday, revealing that he will now head the aviation body, taking over from Sierra Leone’s Minister of Transport and Aviation, Alhaji Fandey Turay.
“In recognition of our bold and innovative policies in the aviation sector under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, a few hours ago, I was appointed as the new chairman of the West Africa Banjul Accord Group (BAG) by the ministers of transport/aviation in the West African states,” he wrote.
The appointment was made during the ongoing BAG meeting in Abuja, where Keyamo emphasized Nigeria’s commitment to enhancing air travel across the subregion.
“The announcement was made during the ongoing BAG meeting in Abuja, reinforcing Nigeria’s leading role in improving air travel across West Africa,” he added.
BAG, established on January 29, 2004, comprises seven West African countries, Cabo Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.
The group is focused on fostering safe and efficient civil aviation systems across member states.
During his address at the Abuja meeting, Keyamo encouraged his fellow aviation ministers to ramp up efforts in infrastructure development across the sector.
“BAG member states should be prepared to make more concerted efforts for more investments in the provision of infrastructure and facilities for safe, secure, environmentally friendly, and sustainable civil aviation,” he stated.
