The Federal Government, acting through the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, has launched a Public-Private Partnership initiative with a private enterprise to set up a comprehensive Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul facility dedicated to aircraft maintenance in Nigeria.
This significant step aligns with the government’s broader goal to develop self-sustaining aviation infrastructure and lessen dependency on overseas MRO services.
A ministry official, who requested anonymity due to a lack of authorization to comment on the specifics, elaborated on the partnership arrangement.
According to the representative, the facility will function as an Approved Maintenance Organisation under the strict oversight of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.
“AMO approved by the NCAA is meant to perform specific aircraft maintenance activities,” the official noted, adding that these tasks encompass “inspection, overhaul, maintenance, repair, and/or alteration and release to service of aircraft or aeronautical products.”
This MRO hub is set to be the first of its kind in Nigeria, aiming to fulfill the ever-growing maintenance needs of the nation’s airlines and aircraft operators.
Currently, many Nigerian aircraft require costly, time-intensive trips to overseas facilities for major maintenance—a trend the government hopes to end by making local MRO options available.
Although the ministry has not yet provided a definitive timeline for the start of construction and the eventual operational launch of the facility, the official emphasized that the actual commencement of services would hinge on the NCAA’s formal approval and the issuance of requisite licenses to the concessionaire.
“The date of commercial operations will be the date on which the NCAA grants the concessionaire approvals and licenses as required by the concessionaire in the agreement,” the source confirmed. All necessary steps, they added, are actively being taken to bring the contract to full effect.
When pressed for a more specific timeline, the official responded, “I don’t have those timelines. There are some actions to make the contract effective, which we are working speedily to achieve before we talk about actual construction and operations of the facilities.”
This development follows an announcement in August by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, who disclosed the government’s intention to initiate a formal bidding process for MRO facilities.
Keyamo explained that a PPP model was essential, given the substantial funding such a project demands, underscoring the government’s focus on strengthening Nigeria’s aviation capabilities and achieving operational self-reliance for local carriers.
