ABUJA— As part of efforts to ensure an all-round development and modernization of the country's aviation sector, the Ministry of Finance Incorporated, MOFI, on Tuesday met with the Honourable Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika to discuss areas of collaboration and partnerships between the two organizations.
The MOFI delegation to the Honourable Minister was led by the Chief Executive Officer, Dr Armstrong Takang who made the case for additional investments for the crucial overhaul of the country's Aviation sector.
Dr Takang further stressed that it is crucial that the FGN derives optimal risk-adjusted returns on the management of its assets and investments following recent approval to create a National Asset Register (NAR) by President Buhari. While stating that the Ministry of Aviation represents one of the biggest supervisors of Nigeria's assets through its sister agencies, Dr Takang reiterated the need for sustainable partnership to support sundry economic activities in the airports.
The MOFI team has been mandated by Mr. President to create a comprehensive National Asset Register (NAR) by aggregating, profiling, and managing all national assets and investments, the NAR will be harnessed to strengthen our fiscal and economic realities and the optimization of our investments and assets. As a result, Dr. Takang emphasized that it is key that all assets of the Ministry are captured in the NAR in line with the vision of Mr. President to properly manage its assets and investments
The MOFI CEO also commented that the development and modernization of the country's airports are crucial for socio-economic development and that while the Ministry had made positive improvements, they believe that more capital investment was required to attract more passengers, cargo movement, and facilitate trade.
Dr Takang indicated that MOFI was interested in supporting the Ministry's efforts in airport development and modernization, including upgrading existing infrastructure and constructing new airports where necessary.
The MOFI delegation assured the Honourable Minister of their strong interest and unwavering support for the growth and expansion of Nigerian airlines by exploring ways in which they can provide financing and investments for airlines to expand their fleets, enhance their services, and compete on the global stage. This statement was made against the backdrop of the Ministry's efforts to launch the “Nigeria Air” brand and establish the Nigerian Aviation Leasing Company.
Sirika who is a member of the MOFI governing council, commended the new board of MOFI and gave assurances that MOFI would be included in the National Aviation Roadmap in no distant time.
According to him, we have the concession of the airport, we have the airlines, we have the cargo, we have the MRO, and ALC, those are the legs of the roadmap. Ministry of Aviation will ensure that MOFI is integral to these plans. He concluded by saying that the Ministry remains committed to ensuring that President Buhari's mandates are adequately delivered.