By Sola Ojo, Abuja
Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, said on Tuesday that the federal government is investing in sustainable aviation infrastructure. He spoke during a visit from the House Committee on Aviation at his Abuja office.
Keyamo stressed the need to cut the aviation industry’s carbon footprint. He noted Nigeria’s alignment with the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) “Leave No Country Behind” project, ensuring the country keeps pace with developed nations in this shift.
Though Nigeria contributed just 2.5% of global CO₂ emissions in 2015, Keyamo highlighted challenges. “As a third-world country, we face major limitations in investing in infrastructure and research for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), even though it is part of our mandate,” he said.
He added that developed countries also struggle with SAF production due to low demand, and most aircraft still rely on fossil fuels. “It would be very expensive to modify existing aircraft engines to be compatible with SAF,” he explained.
He praised ongoing efforts. “All the aviation agencies are working assiduously on initiatives to mitigate the impact of climate change,” Keyamo said. These include the Nigerian Meteorological Agency’s (NiMet) Seasonal Climate Predictions and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria’s (FAAN) Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) programme.
“As a result of this, the carbon footprint for Lagos airport was reduced by 6% in 2021 due to improved energy management, earning the airport a Level 2 ACA accreditation (Reduction),” he added.
Hon Chris Nkwonta, Chairman of the House Committee on Climate Change, raised funding concerns. He said talks with the United Nations underscored the need for global support to help developing nations meet climate goals. Still, he urged bold steps to decarbonise aviation through innovative fuels, carbon trade-offs, green airport infrastructure, and sustainable waste management.