NAAE: Transforming the Global Air Traffic Safety Electronics Landscapes
From the perspective of membership strength and the scale of development of the air traffic safety electronics competence, training and certification landscapes to the timespan of its attainment of the prestigious membership of the International Federation of Air Traffic Safety Electronics Associations (IFATSEA), Nigeria’s National Association of Air Traffic Engineers (NAAE) is unarguably at the forefront of the African air traffic safety electronics professional realm, garnering accolades for its strategic moves which are contributing tremendously to the transformation and modernization of the Nigerian CNS/ATM working environments. NAAE remains the brand African and other affiliates of IFATSEA are wont to make reference to when it comes to issues surrounding competence, standardization and the depth of certification and licensing in relation to air traffic safety electronics personnel (ATSEP). Little wonder, then, that NAAE has not only been expanding its global presence in the air traffic safety realms but has also been playing major roles in the context of the IFATSEA African regional office’s governance framework, contributing novel ideas, landing significant deliverables and contributing to the maintenance of the vision of keeping Africa at the forefront of global air traffic safety electronics practices.
As a leading aviation industry’s professional association, NAAE played a monumental role not only in the entrenchment of an ATSEP licensing/certification regulation in the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig. CARs) but also in the development and implementation of a robust ATSEP training, assessment and licensing regime, which has been in place for over 15 years. Thus, leveraging on the Nigerian long-standing experience in the realm of ATSEP licensing and certification, NAAE currently occupies a pride of place as the chair of the IFATSEA Region Africa ATSEP Licensing Template Task Force, which also includes affiliate associations of Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda.
But NAAE’s role within the framework of IFATSEA Africa Regional Office’s governance framework is by no means limited to its involvement in the ATSEP licensing team. NAAE is also playing major roles in the IFATSEA Regional Office’s Africa Regional Director (ARD) Advisory Council and the Africa Region Affiliates Committee (ARAC) as well as the Regional Office’s Research Council; handling the onerous responsibility of conducting research on the impact of radiation on ATSEP within the various CNS/ATM working environments.
Officially registered in Nigeria as a professional association under Nigeria’s Companies and Allied Matters laws on 10 January, 1992, NAAE’s engagement under the IFATSEA umbrella dates back to the 1980s, with a vision which has remained riveted on professionalism, competence, service delivery excellence, efficiency, strategic collaboration, and integrity.
BOLSTERING NAAE’s INTER-ORGANIZATIONAL COOPERATION
Aside from the primary role of promoting the ATSEP profession as well as enhancing all the elements relating to excellent service delivery, competence, and operational efficiency, interactions, strategic partnerships and collaborations remain key elements of NAAE’s organisational philosophy, which is directed towards the actualisation of the association’s core vision. For this, NAAE has adopted a strategy that is premised upon advocacy, mutual respect, safety information sharing, symbiotic partnerships and a collaborative assessment of emerging industry best practices across multiple competencies.
Aside from maintaining close contacts with African and other affiliates of IFATSEA, NAAE is actively deepening its relationship with sister associations in Nigeria, including the Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), the Aeronautical Information Management Association of Nigeria (AIMAN), and the National Airtraffic Communicators Association of Nigeria (NACAN). Notably, NAAE took this inter-organisational cooperation drive to a new level by engaging the Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) in a collaborative retreat, which took place in Port Harcourt, Nigeria from 14 to 16 April 2025.
“It’s actually a collaborative meeting to strengthen our relationship that has not been too good in the past. So, the Port Harcourt retreat has actually put some hope in the drive to unite the two professional bodies,” says Engr. Selzing Miri, NAAE National President. “The major take-home from that retreat is that these two professional bodies have agreed to work together in the interest of the aviation industry, focusing on collaboration in ensuring that the necessary enabling environments are given to members of the associations to discharge their duties creditably. So, the retreat came up with a communique that highlighted some very important points for the management’s consideration. What I can say here invariably is that there is a brighter hope for greater collaboration between the two associations resulting in greater benefits to the aviation industry. What I can also say is that better days lie ahead for both the management of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the two professional bodies as we now have a better working relationship among ourselves.”
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