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“Balami Launches Aviation University to Bridge Skills Gap”

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The Founder of Isaac Balami University of Aeronautics and Management (IBUAM), Dr. Isaac Balami, has said the establishment of the institution is a deliberate response to the critical skills gap in Nigeria’s and Africa’s aviation sector.

Speaking at the official unveiling of the university in Abuja, Balami explained that the idea behind IBUAM was to produce globally competitive aviators, engineers, and managers equipped with both theoretical knowledge and practical experience.

Licensed by the National Universities Commission (NUC), the university is designed to provide students with hands-on aviation training linked directly to an operational Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in Lagos.

According to Balami, students will graduate with academic degrees as well as international certifications in aircraft maintenance, simulation, avionics, and aeronautical operations.

“At IBUAM, every student will spend their holidays in the hangar—flying, repairing engines, working on landing gears, and gaining real experience the industry demands,” he said.

A trained aircraft engineer himself, Balami said the university was modeled to produce young professionals capable of working unsupervised anywhere in the world by age 21.

He noted that Africa would need over 65,000 skilled aviation professionals in the next decade, but currently produces fewer than 500 annually.

“We cannot continue to depend on expatriates when our youths can be trained to fill those roles. IBUAM is our response to that gap,” he added.

Balami expressed gratitude to the Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, for his support since the project’s inception, as well as the Minister of Education, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and the NUC for their guidance.

“This dream is dedicated to the youth of Nigeria — to those who believe we can fix our country by building, not complaining,” he said.

The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Paul Jemitola, a retired Air Vice Marshal, described IBUAM as Africa’s first privately-owned university dedicated exclusively to aeronautics and management sciences.

He said the institution aims to address the global shortage of aviation professionals, noting that International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) projects Africa will need over 65,000 new aviation experts by 2040.

“This is not just a university — it is a revolution, a response to the skills deficit in Africa’s aviation ecosystem,” Jemitola declared.

He explained that every student, regardless of discipline, will undergo hands-on pilot training alongside academic studies, earning a degree, a private pilot licence, and international aircraft maintenance certification upon graduation.

“Our graduates will not only have academic degrees but also professional licences and over 1,000 hours of logged training on live aircraft and advanced simulators,” he said.

To guarantee world-class learning, the university has partnered with leading global manufacturers, including Boeing, Airbus, and Rolls-Royce Holdings.

“Here, pilots will graduate as entrepreneurs, engineers as innovators, and managers as visionaries,” the VC added.

Jemitola urged Nigerian and African youths passionate about aviation and technology to take advantage of the ongoing admission window through the university’s website (www.ibuam.edu.ng).

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