National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on 6th February, 2024 organized a one-day Sensitization and Awareness Forum for COSPAS-SARSAT Beacons users in Nigeria. The event which took place in the conference Hall of Vacandy Hotel in Port-Harcourt South-South Zone
had the Theme: KEEPING ABREAST WITH EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
The programme was anchored by the Director Search and Rescue Department, Air Cdre Kennedy Mataluwo who represented the Director General of NEMA Mustapha Habib Ahmed.
The programme is aimed at acquainting relevant stakeholders with an overview and the operations of COSPAS-SARSAT systems and
to sensitize all SAR stakeholders in Aviation, Maritime and individual Beacon owners/users on the prevalence or high rate of Beacon False Alerts in Nigeria, its implications and ways of reducing it in our Nation.
For the programme to achieve the above stated aim and objective, lectures were delivered by resource persons on the following topics:
a. *An Overview and Operations of COSPAS-SARSAT Systems.*(Ogba Emmanuel Olughu -CTO/MCC)
b. *Prevalence of 406 MHZ Beacon False Alerts in Nigeria and it’s implications*(Salami Abdullahi Alani – ACPA/MCC)
c. *Brief on Beacon Regulation, Coding and Maintenance.* (NCAA Representative)
Stakeholders who participated in the programme are as follows:
The Representative of Rivers State Government, Nigerian Navy (NNS Pathfinder) NAMA, NCAA, NIMET, Red Cross Society, NIWA, FAAN, Federal Fire Service, NPF, FRSC, DSS, NSCDC, Shell Nigeria, NIMASA, NIS, NNLG, NDDC, AIR OPERATOR’S, BOAT OPARETOR’S, NGO’s, CIOTA’s and the ACADEMIA
