The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has conducted its 2026 Aeronautical Telecommunication Safety Electronic Personnel proficiency checks — a mandatory regulatory assessment confirming the competency of the technical staff responsible for maintaining and operating Nigeria's aeronautical telecommunication and navigation systems to ICAO-required standards.
ATSEP are the engineers and technicians who maintain the electronic systems supporting air navigation, communication, and surveillance across Nigeria's airspace and airports — including instrument landing systems, VHF communications equipment, radar installations, navigational aids, and meteorological instrumentation. All are safety-critical systems that must be maintained by personnel whose competency has been formally verified under the ICAO ATSEP competency framework.
Why ATSEP Proficiency Checks Matter
The reliability of Nigeria's aeronautical communication and navigation infrastructure is a direct input into the country's ICAO Effective Implementation score — the metric under which Nigeria achieved its record 91.45 per cent rating in the 2026 Coordinated Validation Mission. The Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance domain is one of the eight critical elements ICAO assesses during safety audits, and personnel competency is a core component. Regular proficiency checks identify training needs before certification renewal, create documented competency records supporting ICAO audit compliance, and reinforce a safety culture that treats continued professional development as an ongoing obligation rather than a one-time qualification.
In the Context of Nigeria's Safety Record
The NCAA's conduct of the 2026 ATSEP proficiency checks reflects the systematic approach to maintaining safety standards that produced Nigeria's historic ICAO score. DGCA Capt. Chris Najomo has consistently emphasised that sustaining Nigeria's aviation safety gains requires not just infrastructure investment but the continuous development of the human capital that operates and maintains that infrastructure. ATSEP proficiency checks are a practical manifestation of that commitment — ensuring that the technical personnel on whom safe air navigation depends are assessed, supported, and held to the international competency standards that Nigeria's rapidly growing aviation market requires.
