The engagement focuses on training, knowledge development, knowledge exchange, and institutional capacity building as Nigeria explores opportunities to develop SAF as part of efforts to reduce emissions from the aviation sector.
According to a statement signed by the Head of Public Relations, AAAU, the discussions followed a visit by the NCAA Environment Team, Jon McKechnie, comprising an NCAA SAF Technical Expert and an ICAO Consultant, to AAAU for discussions on SAF development and capacity building.
The team was received by Mustapha Sheikh Abdullahi, Ag. Vice-Chancellor of AAAU, alongside members of the university’s management and staff.
Speaking during the engagement, Abdullahi outlined the university’s academic focus on aviation, aerospace and environmental sustainability, as well as the role of the African Centre for Climate Change and Aviation Decarbonization (ACCCAD) in research, knowledge development and capacity building.
He said the discussions built on preliminary efforts initiated in 2025 to examine Nigeria’s potential for Sustainable Aviation Fuel production.
According to him, studies had identified opportunities for SAF production from available sustainable resources, providing a basis for further consideration of the technical, academic and institutional requirements for developing a functional SAF ecosystem.
Abdullahi said the latest engagement would examine the potential role of AAAU as a knowledge and training base for SAF capacity development.
He identified the proposed Training of Trainers (ToT) programme as a key area of collaboration, saying it was designed to develop a pool of professionals and subject-matter experts capable of transferring knowledge and supporting wider capacity development in the SAF sector.
He said the proposed capacity-building activities were consistent with AAAU’s aviation and environmental sustainability mandate and the work of ACCCAD, particularly in climate change, aviation decarbonisation and professional capacity development.
Abdullahi expressed the university’s readiness to host and support SAF-related training and knowledge-development activities, adding that the initiative could also strengthen ACCCAD’s technical foundation and broader capacity-development objectives.
McKechnie, who led the NCAA team, discussed the structure and requirements of the proposed programme, including the technical and knowledge areas to be covered and the academic foundation required to support the initiative.
He also highlighted opportunities for the exchange of tutors, trainers and subject-matter experts among relevant institutions, as well as the institutional infrastructure required to develop, absorb and transfer knowledge in the emerging SAF field.
McKechnie stressed the importance of collaboration among regulators, academic institutions, technical experts, industry stakeholders and other partners, given the multidisciplinary nature of Sustainable Aviation Fuel development.
He said the leadership of ACCCAD and other relevant experts within AAAU would work with the NCAA technical team to further define areas of collaboration, including training, subject-matter expertise, knowledge exchange and the proposed Training of Trainers programme.
The engagement is expected to strengthen the human and institutional capacity required to support Nigeria’s SAF ambitions while deepening collaboration between the aviation regulator and academia on aviation decarbonisation and the development of a lower-emission aviation sector.