Initial training in flight procedures' design at the CCAA Training School
Published: Friday, 11 April 2025 01:28
This four-week training course ended on April 11, 2025, with the award of certificates to participants by Mrs Paule Assoumou Koki, Director General of the Cameroon Civil Aviation Authority (CCAA), at the CCAA Training School located at the entrance to Yaoundé-Nsimalen International Airport.
The CCAA initiated the training course given the crucial need for qualified professionals in this complex field, to enhance aviation safety throughout Africa and the world. The 24 trainees came from 11 African countries, including Burundi, Côte d'Ivoire, Eswatini, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, Togo and Cameroon. The training aimed to deepen their understanding of the conventional flight procedures essential for the safe arrival, approach and departure of aircraft.
During the training, which began on March 17, 2025, emphasis was placed on mitigating the risks posed by physical obstacles in airport environments and the unpredictable challenges posed by adverse weather conditions. This demanding discipline requires complex calculations and careful consideration of factors such as terrain clearance, the effective use of navigation aids, different aircraft performance limitations, and the complexities of airspace management.
During this training session, the trainees benefited from the expertise of Mr Alexander Damibe, instructor and Director of the African Flight Procedures Programme (AFPP), and Mr Peter Chinyama, expert instructor, who sought to equip the participants with the fundamental knowledge they need to improve the safety and efficiency of air navigation in their respective countries.
At the closing ceremony, Mrs Koki expressed her sincere gratitude to the AFPP for its partnership and for choosing Cameroon to host this important training course. Drawing on her own experience when she was a trainee on the same course some decades ago at the École Nationale de l'Aviation Civile (ENAC) in Toulouse, France, she acknowledged the intellectual rigour required of the course, which is why she congratulated the participants on their dedication and perseverance during the training. Looking to the future, Mrs Koki advocated continuous learning, dialogue and knowledge exchange between participants and instructors.
Echoing this sentiment, the two instructors expressed their gratitude to the CCAA for its exceptional hospitality and the excellent organisation of the training programme.
In the same vein, the newly-certified flight procedure designers expressed their deep gratitude for the invaluable knowledge and practical skills acquired during their stay in Cameroon.
In addition to the rigorous academic training, the participants had the opportunity to visit the national museum, the international crafts centre, the ecopark and the reunification monument, and to savour the varied local cuisine.
This successful training in the design of flight procedures, supported by the visionary leadership of Madame Koki and carried out in partnership with the AFPP, testifies to Cameroon's emerging role as a vital hub for aeronautical expertise in Africa.
This strategic investment in human capital once again consolidates the bright and more efficient future of aviation on the African continent.
MKG/ARO-PRU
