No fewer than 250,000 passengers have passed through the Chinua Achebe Airport, formerly Anambra Passenger and Cargo Airport, Umueri, since it was inaugurated for commercial operations in Dec. 2021.
Martins Nwafor, Managing Director of Chinua Achebe Airport, said this in an interview with The Tide’s source, yesterday..
Nwafor said about 4,000 airlifts had passed through the airport with an average of six flights per day.
He said the first four months had low activity as it was the route building period.
He said the airport had two major flight operators using the airport on full scheduled commercial operations with a number of private operators.
The Managing Director said the Chinua Achebe Airport was ready for increased traffic during the Yuletide season, saying that services would be both day and night.
Nwafor said compared with the peers of the airport and considering how young it was in the industry, the airport was faring badly
“We started operations here on Dec. 7, 2021, that is about one year and 11 months and so far, we have had 4,000 flights with about 250,000 passengers passing through this airport.
“We are still working to improve our services, we hope that passengers will increase and that will lead to more airline companies coming down here.
“The Chinua Achebe Airport is ready for the yuletide, our services will be available for both day and night operations and we have about 76 airport taxi operators who have been screened by the DSS, so safety of passengers is guaranteed,” he said.
Nwafor said air transport remained the most economical way to travel considering the safety, speed and comfort it gives to passenger
According to him, air transport is not elitist, when you consider the condition of our roads, the safety environment and how they affect businesses negatively, you will realise that additional cost to travel by air is far less than its numerous benefits,” he said.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group has launched programmes to enhance institutional capacity for effective macro-economic and public policy management to accelerate inclusive growth, sustainable development and achievement of the Agenda 2063.
The tailored programme is part of the bank’s implementation activities of its capacity development strategy as well as its commitment to strengthening Africa’s capacity for effective macro-economic governance, policy-making and implementation.
Chief Economist and Vice President, Economic Governance and Knowledge Management, African Development Bank Group, Prof. Kevin Chika Urama, disclosed this at the launch of the Benchmark Macroeconomic Models for Effective Policy Management in Africa Report at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at the weekend.
He said the report is a product of collaboration between the AfDB, the African Development Institute and the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) as an implementation activity of the Bank’s Capacity Development Strategy approved by the AfDB Group Board of Directors in 2021.
According to him, this report provides an inventory of existing models and modeling capacity in African countries based on an Africa-wide survey implemented by the Bank Group.
He said it also examines the relevance of the existing models to African development realities in the face of recurrent and dynamic challenges, considering the significant heterogeneity in economic structures across the 54 African countries.
Urama said another key implementation programme of the Capacity Development Strategy is the Executive Training Programme on Macro-Economic Policy Management in Africa (MEMA).
He said the study that informed the report was commissioned to better understand the existing macro-economic modelling capabilities and tools in all African countries to inform the curriculum and capacity development programmes of MEMA that address the capacity development needs of countries.
Urama explained that macroeconomic models provide the tools for countries to effectively understand and predict the behaviour of their economies, analyse policy response options, evaluate possible outcomes, and guide their implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
He said the models are only attempts to simplify realities logically to inform decision-making under specific assumptions, contexts and realities.
Urama said the models are therefore as relevant as the extent to which they approximate realities and can inform appropriate decision-making in specific contexts.
“In the face of increased global uncertainties, particularly the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change and other challenges that continue to inflict  blows on African economies, it is important for policymakers to undertake policy decisions with a clearer and better understanding of their economic environment and anticipation of what the impact of their policy options would be on inclusive growth and sustainable development”, he stated.
He said, although there have been positive strides in macroeconomic management on the continent, macroeconomic modelling capacity in Africa has remained low, as some countries continue to rely on simple models, which do not capture the complex intricacies and realities of the operation of their economies in a globalised world.

The Ogun State Government has commenced the second phase of the disbursement of the N1 billion grant to micro and small enterprises.
The initiative aims to alleviate poverty and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on businesses in the state.
The Commissioner for Industry, Trade, and Investment and a member of the Ogun State COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus Steering Committee, Mr. Adebola Sofela, in a statement on Monday, announced that Governor Dapo Abiodun has directed the immediate commencement of the disbursement process for the second phase of the grants.
According to the statement, in the first batch, over N120 million was disbursed by the state government to more than 1,000 micro and small entrepreneurs across the 20 local government areas of the state.
The statement said Micro & Small Enterprises in the Retail, Fashion, Hair & Beauty, Light Manufacturing and Hospitality are eligible to apply for the grant which government has started disbursing
Reports say the move is aimed at driving the economy through small businesses in line with the millennium sustainable development goals.
Entrepreneurs by the information are expected to apply to avoid late entry regrets on the side of the small businesses.