2025 Agenda

Title: Drones & UTM in Africa: The Nigerian Blueprint for a Secure, Scalable and Inclusive Digital Airspace

Africa is entering a new phase of airspace evolution driven by rapid drone adoption across energy, security, logistics, and public-sector operations. Yet many African states face a unique challenge: integrating thousands of unmanned aircraft into airspace systems originally built for manned aviation. This session introduces The Nigerian UTM Blueprint : a practical, deployment-tested model for building digital airspace infrastructure that is resilient, secure, and scalable in low-resource and high-demand environments.

Drawing from ELINT SYSTEMS’ pioneering work with regulators, ANSPs, security agencies, and industry partners, the session will explore how African states can accelerate drone integration while protecting national sovereignty. Key themes include regulatory harmonisation, UTM–C-UAS interoperability, data governance, public–private collaboration, and the economic potential of indigenous UTM service providers.

This session is designed for policymakers, ANSPs, innovators, and global partners seeking to understand how emerging markets can leapfrog legacy aviation constraints and build future-ready airspace systems.