By Daniel Oluwatobilola Popoola
Nigeria and Cameroon havesigned a bilateral agreement on Technical Aeronautical Search and Rescue Operations aimed at strengthening aviation safety cooperation across their shared airspace.
The agreement was signed on Friday, 27 February, 2026 in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, following high-level talks between Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, and his Cameroonian counterpart, Jean Ernest NgalNgallé Bibehe.
The pact is designed to enhance coordination and enable faster responses to aviation emergencies occurring within or near the two countries’ border regions.
Keyamo disclosed the development on Saturday via his official X account, stating that he led a high-level Nigerian delegation to formalise the accord.
“Yesterday, I led a high-level Nigerian delegation to Yaoundé, Cameroon, to meet my Cameroonian counterpart, the Minister of Transport, Jean Ernest NgalNgallé Bibehe, to formally sign the Bilateral Agreement on Technical Aeronautical Search and Rescue Operations,” he wrote.
He added that the agreement between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Republic of Cameroon would significantly boost airspace safety.
“This agreement between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Republic of Cameroon enhances airspace safety by enabling faster and more coordinated responses to aviation emergencies across our shared borders,” Keyamo stated.
The Nigerian delegation included the Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, as well as key directors from the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development.
Keyamo explained that the composition of the delegation was deliberate, noting that it was structured to ensure a “unified approach to implementation” from the outset.
According to officials, the agreement establishes a framework for technical cooperation in the management of aeronautical search and rescue missions, particularly in border areas where swift coordination is critical to saving lives and safeguarding aircraft operations.
The development comes months after a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft made an emergency landing in Burkina Faso following a mid-flight technical fault.
The crew and passengers 11 military personnel were detained for nine days by Burkinabe authorities, who accused Nigeria of entering their airspace without clearance.
They were subsequently released after diplomatic intervention by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, acting on the directive of President Bola Tinubu.
Aviation stakeholders say the new bilateral framework is expected to minimise such incidents by strengthening communication channels, clarifying operational protocols and reinforcing mutual trust in cross-border airspace management.
