Adejare Adekitan, head, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) at Skyway Aviation Handling Company Limited (SAHCOL) notes that Africa’s aviation sector lags in IT application.
He is a Computer Engineering graduate of the Federal University of Technology, Akure. Adekitan stressed the need for a comprehensive ICT package in aviation handling business in Nigeria.
He spoke to peter ugwu.

Assessment of ICT in Nigeria Aviation Industry
Although we can boast of fantastic developments in the industry in Nigeria lately, I would stress that African countries are lagging behind in the comity of aviation nations.

And Nigeria is no different.

But relatively, we are moving on compared to the way we were in the last 10 years.

The emphasis for sometime now is how we can safeguard passengers that are traveling by air.

 If we must achieve this, two things we must not overlook are human capacity development and deployment of modern ICT equipment.

We have seen cases where these hi-tech equipment are installed and abuse becomes inevitable because the people meant to man them are incompetent.

Even IATA has stressed that airlines can use opportunities in ICT to grow their finances.

There is so much ICT software application we could use to manage the aviation sector; unfortunately, we don’t seem ready to apply the right remedy to our situation.

Overview of SAHCOL ICT
The major focus is to enhance, sustain or maintain the technical functions of the company.

And also to contribute towards elevating the company even beyond international ICT benchmarks in cargo and aviation handling viz-a-viz delivering service that are profitable to both parties comprising the company and her numerous public.

All areas of our operations are computerized.
 
Warehouse ICT installations
We have installed some ICT equipment like security base gadgets – the CCTV that covers the warehouse surroundings.

The installations were informed by the fact that our warehouse can not be out area surveillance tools, essentially to prevent or detect abnormalities.

Beside that most operations that take place within the warehouse are automated. Our operation starts the moment goods arrive at our tarmac.

So, ICT presence is critical in this aspect of business.

 For instance, if you have a cargo, it needs to be captured and once that is done, it makes the rest of the process very convenient for the parties involved.

We could recall that when Sifax Group took over SAHCOL in December, 2009, one of the immediate promises made by the chairman, Dr. Taiwo Afolabi to customers and the public is the re-fleeting of the company.

 In January 2010, we placed order for some units of ground handling equipment from various manufacturers in Europe and America.

And since March, 2010 we have installed equipment like Commander 15i, Commander 30i, Smart steps, Push back, Tractors, Mobile Belt Loaders, Airstarter Units, Baggage Tractors, Ground Power Units, amongst others.

This is to buttress management’s resolve to improve on services rendered to the public as it affects safety.

Cargo Tracking Gadgets
Currently, we are pursuing a process that can aide anyone track movement of his cargo in any part of the world through our tracking equipment.

 We have also acquired internationally recommended software that can aide us in spotting cargo; in essence we can interact with counterparts in other countries in checkmating movements of cargo, so that any cargo company can send signal to and from us through the deployed infrastructure.

 Other areas like passenger service are also computerized.

There is what we call the common user terminal equipment (CUTE), deployed for terminal operations.

With this device, as we are checking a passenger here in Lagos or in any airport that we carry out this duty in Nigeria, data records are transmitted to the passenger’s destination even before their arrival.

 Although there are few areas that are still handled manually, especially in documentation, we can say to a very large extent at SAHCOL that our ICT compliance level has improved tremendously.

In addition to that, ICT is dynamic; as changes occur we would continue to harness the opportunities inherent ICT and automation processes as we are determined to contribute our quota towards Federal Government’s airport transformation agenda.

Successes
The automation has helped a lot.

It has enhanced cargo clearing; gone are the days cargo clearing are delayed due to inept practices or human interference.

 It has even helped in reducing cases of losing cargo on transit.

Without mincing words, it is a global phenomenon that aviation industry can only grow its financial earnings through ICT compliance.

In other words, SAHCOL today can say it has benefited from computerizing its operations.

SAHCOL Aviation Security (SAS)
Yes, SAS is a specialized platform through which we provide services for airlines in the areas of control and supervision of access to check-in zones; passport control and detection of fake international passports/travel documents; security questioning/profiling and protection and control of luggage chain from check-in to aircraft.

Other aspects of the initiative include reconciliation between boarding pass and passenger identification; X-ray control for hand luggage and magnetic detection for passengers; supervision of aircraft zones and loading/offloading of aircraft and reconciliation of passengers and luggage in transit.

These are part of efforts to ensure maximum and passenger safety are maintained within our nation’s airports.

Data Security
We have made concerted efforts in securing our data, especially from external (cyber) attacks.

That does not mean that the internal arrangements are porous, because we know that some attack from external bodies are orchestrated from within, therefore, we have made efforts to secure our data.

Apart from the software we installed, we do carry out frequent back up and maintenances. The make sure our data are secured within and offshore.

Locally Developed Software
We have tried using some of them, but we discovered that the capacities are not enough to drive our programme.

 This industry is very sensitive and not everything can fit into what we are doing, especially for security purposes.

 Some of them are yet to meet international standards, which is the reason for foreign software used in most companies in the country.

There is a need for government to encourage our local productions to meet world standards, by putting enabling infrastructure in place.

By the time the standards are heightened government can show example by mandating its ministries, departments and agencies to patronize the local developers.

The truth is that we have youths who have interest in that aspect of national development.

But at present we don’t even have an incubating centre; many of our tertiary institutions offering ICT related courses are either ill-equipped or the equipment are archaic.

It may be a shocker to you that only about ten per cent of local software developers have shown interest in aviation.

If they have done that, perhaps we could have seen a way to help out. Therefore, 90 per cent of software used in the sector is imported.              

Power challenges
I want to believe that since the Sosoliso crash few years back, the airport managers (Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria – FAAN), has done a lot of thing to plug incessant power outages. Although it was only recently we learnt the air crash was as result of power outage.

Especially in Lagos, a lot of things are been done. I had opportunity to be at the Control Tower, of which they recently installed new gadgets to back up their systems in times of power failure.

Of course, the Control Tower has to be powered 24 hours of the day. My assessment of the situation is that there are improvements in critical areas.

Human development
Permit me to emphasis that it amount to wrong approach for us to believe that our challenges are over, once equipment are in place, without individuals with the technical knowledge to handle them.

 The two are married together. However, we cannot do without human error in an industry like this.

 But for us to minimize such errors constant training and awareness campaign must not be ruled out.

 There are certain areas that human capacity development can be compromised without it showing much in the operations of such industry, but in a technical field like aviation, we can not trade it for anything.

 For instance, when the Dana air crash happened, the first eyebrow raised was human error.

To set example, as we are in the period of expansion, every staff of SAHCOL is expected to master ICT equipment usage.      

Cargo handling Industry
Well, cargo handling is not different from Nigerian aviation industry.

Before now, the Nigerian Aviation industry was a passenger-driven sector. The focus was largely on proceeds from passenger air travels.

But today, the business model has the ability to satisfy the yawning of travelers who are not far from those engaged in global supply chain.

 The sector contributes immensely to the economic development of the world and Nigeria in particular.

So, we are working towards increasing our cargo base, constructing a new warehouse. Nowadays, e-ticking or booking is the order, we are working towards perfecting that aspect of our operation.