Following the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority (SLCAA) and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) in November last year, the NCAA has sent a three-man delegation to offer technical assistance to SLCAA in areas of Personnel Licensing and Aeromedical Standards.
The mission is aimed at providing technical assistance to the SLCAA with the view of addressing its safety deficiencies in the areas of Personel Licensing and Aerodromedical Standards.
The Director General of SLCAA, Moses Tiffa Baio welcomed the team of experts and expressed his appreciation to the Director General of NCAA for his tremendous support in safety and security, while noting that the relationship between Sierra Leone and Nigeria dated as far back in colonial days when the two countries were part of the British Colonial block which formed the West Africa Airways. He added that ever since the bond was established, Nigeria helped Sierra Leone in so many ways including the ICAO ‘No Country left behind’ initiative.
DG Baio mentioned further that their visit is important to the state, given the current safety rating of which Personnel Licensing forms part of the eight Critical Elements. He assured them of immediate action in areas that needed prompt improvement.
Presenting the purpose of the mission, the Personnel Licensing Inspector of the Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority, Sam Abokie said the NCAA Team arrived specifically to assist the Authority address issues relating to Personnel Licensing and Aeromedicine.
“We are pleased to host the three technical experts from NCAA as this technical assistance mission will strengthen the SLCAA in the two areas mentioned, especially when the Authority will be adopting the NCAA aeromedicine and PEL model. We agree that the two departments play a critical role in guaranteeing aviation safety and compliance, and this makes them interwoven as the issuing of licenses is largely based on the issuing of certificates of fitness to aviation professionals to carry out their required functions,” he disclosed.
Speaking on behalf of the NCAA team, the General Manager of Aeromedical Standards Dr Wilfred T. Haggai said the team was impressed with the Director General’s dynamism to address deficiencies, adding that the SLCAA has the potential to develop under his leadership. While stating the essence of their visit, he recalled the team conducted needs assessment on PEL and Aeromedical Standards in May this year to cover technical assistance and training.
“We are here to provide technical assistance in reviewing the status of Corrective Action Plan (CAP), reviewing the State Aviation Activity questionnaire/ICAO-CMA/OLF in PEL, carrying out cross referencing of the SLCAA regulations in line with ICAO Annex 1, reviewing the designation of Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) of SLCAA and undergo a reassessment of Class 3 medical certificate issued to Air traffic controllers by the AME, adopting and adapting the NCAA TGMs in PEL and ANS,” he said.
