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The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to ensure effective synergy and cross-border search and rescue (SAR). The MoU, signed at NAMA’s headquarters in Lagos, states the guidelines and procedures for collaboration on aircraft and weather or terrain information sharing, deployment of manpower, as well as SAR equipment in the event of an incident or accident.

According to a statement released by NAMA on Sunday, the agreement is part of efforts to address issues arising from the flow of air traffic among adjacent flight information regions (FIR). It is also in line with the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to enhance operational synergy in air traffic management between countries.

The Managing Director of NAMA, Fola Akinlotu, said the agreement also specifies the procedures to be followed for tactical separation of aircraft between Lagos and Accra. “Stipulated in the Letters of Agreement are details such as how air traffic controllers can exchange or manage the movement of aircraft can exchange or manage the movement of aircraft across the two centres in terms of radio frequencies,” Akinlotu said.

He added that the agreement also specifies the point at which to transfer aircraft, as well as boundaries and altitude for transfer of aircraft across the common borders. The agreement also contains the procedures for handling emergencies, transfer of aircraft using technical systems such as controller pilot data link (CPDLC) and automatic dependent surveillance contract (ADSC).

According to the statement, there were discussions of possible partnership, which would allow some NAMA officials and operational personnel to undergo training at Ghana’s Civil Aviation Academy, which is affiliated with international training institutions.