The Federal Government has pledged full support for Baze University, Abuja, to establish a specialized School of Aviation as part of a national push to reduce capital flight and bridge critical skill gaps in the aerospace sector. Speaking during a high-powered visit by the university’s Chancellor, Senator Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, described the proposal as a strategic national investment.
Keyamo emphasized that the project aligns with the administration’s goal of transforming Nigeria into a regional aviation hub and immediately directed the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary to fast-track all regulatory approvals for the venture.
The proposed institution is slated for a site in the Bwari area of Abuja and will be equipped with its own dedicated runway for flight training and practical simulations. Senator Baba-Ahmed, while detailing the project, noted that the facility will offer comprehensive programs in Pilot Training, Aeronautical Engineering, Air Traffic Control, Meteorology, and Aircraft Management.
He highlighted the university’s rapid growth from just 17 students at its inception to over 5,000 graduates today, framing this new aviation venture as a logical progression for an institution that has already established Africa’s largest private hospital.
The initiative aims to address a looming global shortage of over 780,000 maintenance engineers and thousands of pilots projected for the next two decades. By providing world-class training locally, Baze University intends to offer an alternative to expensive foreign programs, which currently cost Nigerian families an estimated $28,000 to $60,000 annually.
Minister Keyamo welcomed the “healthy competition” this would create with state-owned institutions like the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), asserting that more training centers are essential to accommodate the rising demand for skilled professionals across the West African sub-region.
