11 Years After, NPA Commissions Simulation Facility In Lagos, Saves $1million Annually

After 11 years, the NPA Simulation Facility comes alive in Apapa, Lagos.

 In a bid to conserve foreign exchange, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has partnered its joint venture partners to build a simulation centre for the training of pilots locally.

Speaking at the inauguration of the simulation centre in Lagos yesterday, the Managing Director of the NPA, Hadiza Bala-Usman, said training of pilots locally would save the federal government over $1 million (N366 million) annually spent in training pilots in the United Kingdom, other Europe countries and the United States of America.

The Simulator will be used to train pilots and for research and other purposes. The Simulator has software that realistically simulates the behavior of a vessel and its systems in a simulated maritime environment and has an interface that allows the person using it to control the ship & interact with its simulated surroundings.

The idea which was conceived 11 years ago has the Honourable Minister of Transportation Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi commissioned the NPA Simulation Facility.

According to NPA, the Centre has in the last 8 months trained 98 Nigerian pilots that hitherto would have been sent abroad, saving the country a significant amount of foreign exchange. With this commission, the Authority is expected to save an average of One Million US Dollars ($1,000,000) annually from the training pilots overseas yearly.

These are images of the centre and also from the commissioning in Apapa, Lagos.

Images of the facility...