Airport concession draws closer as FG shortlists bidders
The desire to concede four of Nigeria’s largest airports is becoming a reality as the Federal Government has embarked on the next phase of the exercise.
The airports under concession are those of Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port-Harcourt. Consequently, the Ministry of Aviation revealed this weekend that, in accordance with the Commission for the Regulation of Infrastructure Concessions (Establishment etc.) Act 2005, the Request for Proposals (RfP) phase of the Nigeria Airport Concession Program (NACP) commenced on June 1, 2022, shortlisted bidders have since been notified in writing and through the Deal Portal (http://www.nacp.aviation.gov.ng/).
The RfP stage of the programme, according to the spokesperson for the Minister of Aviation, Dr James Odaudun, will close on September 5, 2022. All shortlisted bidders are therefore encouraged to ensure that they submit their submissions on time. timely and in accordance with the details. guidelines included in the bidders’ file.
Speaking to the media on the eve of the NACP bidders conference, before embarking on a stakeholder tour of notable international airports in Brazil and Turkey, Aviation Minister Senator Hadi Sirika expressed its confidence in the conduct of a transparent and robust concession program. to the competition before the end of the year.
“We are delighted to inform all stakeholders and indeed all Nigerians that a critical milestone in this program has now been reached.
We anticipate that the program, including the final phase of the negotiations, will be concluded before the end of the year, thus allowing the assets concerned to be handed over to the best operators in the private sector well before this administration hands over to a new , duly elected government,” he said.
The bidders conference, organized by the Federal Ministry of Aviation and the Infrastructure Concessions Regulatory Commission – the substantive regulator for all infrastructure concessions in Nigeria, took place in Abuja and marks a critical step in the process of concessioning Nigeria’s four international airports and associated assets. , including passenger and cargo terminals.
Preferred bidder delegates flew to Nigeria from no less than four countries, with the majority joining online through the NACP’s virtual conferencing system. Speaking at the event, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Aviation, Abel Enitan, added, “We are delighted to see this level of genuine interest in Nigeria’s infrastructure concession programs and in particular this airport concession program.
“As the global aviation industry recovers, this level of interest Nigeria is enjoying from emerging market investors is a testament to the magnitude of the opportunities Nigeria offers to long-term investors who share a positive vision of the future of the nation. We wish all bidders well as they conduct their own due diligence and prepare competitive bids for the various assets.
At the beginning of the year, Sirika indicated that transaction advisers for the concession of airports were currently analyzing the proposals of the bidders. He explained that the successful bidders would be announced soon, adding that the whole process should be completed in the second quarter of this year.
Sirika said, “The transaction advisors for the dealership have completed the business case and obtained the request for qualification. We screened the people and they received a request for proposal.
“They have returned the proposals and we are analyzing them to announce the successful bidders and it will be soon. Our calendar is for the first quarter of this year. “Well, I see that still happening, let’s be very ambitious, but certainly it will end in the second quarter and all the (identified) airports will be concessioned.”
In October 2021, the federal government announced that it would send requests for proposals to qualified bidders for the concession of the four airports after evaluating the requests for qualification. He also said that the previous stage – the application for qualifications phase of Nigeria’s airport concessions program – ended at 3:00 p.m. on October 25, 2021.