Nigeria and Cameroon have signed a Bilateral Agreement on Technical Aeronautical Search and Rescue Operations aimed at boosting aviation safety and coordination within their shared airspace.
The agreement was formalised in Yaoundé, Cameroon’s capital, after discussions between Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, and Cameroon’s Minister of Transport, Jean Ernest NgalNgallé Bibehe.
Announcing the development on his official X handle, Keyamo stated that the pact would improve cross-border collaboration and enable quicker, more coordinated responses to aviation emergencies affecting both countries.
He explained that the Nigerian delegation included the Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), and senior officials from the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development. According to him, the composition of the team was intentional to ensure seamless implementation of the agreement.
The newly signed framework establishes structured technical cooperation between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Republic of Cameroon in handling search and rescue missions, particularly in border areas where airspace responsibilities may overlap.
The move follows a previous diplomatic episode involving a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft, which carried out an emergency landing in Burkina Faso due to a technical fault mid-flight. The aircraft’s crew and passengers—11 military personnel—were detained for nine days over allegations of unauthorised entry into Burkinabe airspace before being released after diplomatic intervention led by Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar on the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The new Nigeria-Cameroon agreement is expected to reduce the likelihood of similar incidents by improving communication, coordination and emergency response mechanisms between the two neighbouring countries.