Nigeria, Cameroon sign air rescue pact to boost safety

Nigeria and Cameroon have sealed a new pact aimed at boosting collaboration on aeronautical search and rescue missions, a move expected to strengthen flight safety within their adjoining airspace.

The accord was endorsed in Yaoundé on Friday after talks between Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, and Cameroon’s Minister of Transport, Jean Ernest NgalNgallé Bibehe.

Keyamo disclosed the development on Saturday through his official X platform.

“Yesterday, I led a high-level Nigerian delegation to Yaoundé, Cameroon to meet my Cameroonian counterpart, the Minister of Transport, Jean Ernest NgalNgallé Bibehe, to formally sign the Bilateral Agreement on Technical Aeronautical Search and Rescue Operations,” he wrote.

“This agreement between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Republic of Cameroon enhances airspace safety by enabling faster and more coordinated responses to aviation emergencies across our shared borders.”

According to the minister, the Nigerian delegation comprised the Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, and senior officials from the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development.

He explained that the team’s composition was intentional, designed to ensure a “unified approach to implementation” from the beginning.

The framework sets out procedures for joint technical assistance and coordinated action whenever aircraft incidents occur within or close to the border areas of both countries.

The agreement follows heightened attention to cross-border aviation protocols after a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft made an emergency landing in Burkina Faso months ago due to a technical fault mid-flight. The aircraft’s crew and passengers, 11 military personnel, were detained for several days by local authorities over allegations of airspace violation before diplomatic engagement secured their release.

The latest pact signals a renewed commitment by both countries to prevent similar complications and to prioritise passenger and crew safety through closer operational ties.