FAAN, Miami-Dade County Seek Partnership on Airport Devt

Oluchi Chibuzor

The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Miami-Dade County have agreed to align their common goals to facilitate bilateral trade relationships in aviation as well as explore investment around seaport and tourism.

In view of this, the county is seeking to establish a direct access flight between Miami and Nigeria under the preferential treatment received through the then African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

Speaking in Lagos, yesterday, at a business development mission organised by FAAN for a trade delegation from Miami-Dade county, the Managing Director/CEO, FAAN, Rabiu Yadudu, expressed gratitude to the delegates for coming to Nigeria.

Yadudu, who was represented by the Director, Finance and Accounts, FAAN, Nike Aboderin, said, FAAN has in a number of ways explored non-aeronautical modes of revenue generation and was consistently seeking new avenues for expansion.

According to him, “It is on this premise that we have in this gathering distinguished ladies and gentlemen from various sectors of the Nigerian Economy who have come to exchange business ideas and explore prospects of expansion as well as seek ways of collaboration in the course of this business meeting with our delegates from Miami-Dade County.

“It is not out of place that FAAN whose core business is to develop and profitably manage customer-centric airport facilities for safe, secure and efficient carriage of passengers and goods at world-class standards of quality.  Despite recent challenges the Authority has been striving to fulfill its mandate.”

Commending FAAN for giving them the opportunity to interact with business community through their presentation titled, ‘MIA and Nigeria Market Overview’, the Commissioner, Second District, Miami-Dade County, Jean Monestime, said the trade mission enabled them to interact with government officials to boost trade between both countries.

According to him, part of what they would be looking at would be how to establish a direct flight to their state, rather than connecting Nigeria through Morocco and also tourism and seaport development.

“Also to use our airports and seaport to transform your commercial and cargo routes and also as a way to get your trades to Latin America and North America. If you are a government agency to establish or reestablish agreement or MoU with your counterpart in our county.

“We would like to ask that a business-to-government and government-to- government delegation be led to Miami-Dade County be organised and we invite you as an invitation to lead government and business delegation to our County.

“That is when you will be able to share your ideas of how you want to improve and what we can do to assist; whether you are looking for funding for public-private partnership, like to go into our education system with people in our County, we will facilitate whatever you need.

“These are the reasons we are here and again is an open invitation to government officials here and to come to Miami in response to what we are doing here today. It is all about relationships, we come here and we invite you to come and we come back and we start business in the near future.”

However, Organisation of Women in International Trade (OIWIT) Nigeria and African Women’s Entrepreneurship Programme (AWEP) urged the delegates to also facilitate trade for Nigeria women.