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Namibia’s First MRO School Paves Way For Local Workforce Pipeline
Namibia is poised to begin building its own domestic MRO workforce pipeline through a new training milestone. The first group of aviation maintenance students to be locally trained and tested has graduated from a new Namibian aviation training school set up by aviation services provider Westair Aviation and its training subsidiary, Signa Aviation Services.
The companies embarked on a long-term plan to strengthen Namibia’s MRO workforce more than three years ago. This included establishing new training facilities, developing training manuals and systems, and completing the regulatory approval process with the Namibia Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
The school is Namibia’s first to offer aviation maintenance engineer (AME) curriculum. “Prior to this, the only option [for aspiring AMEs in Namibia] was to complete their theory and practical training in South Africa and have that training accredited by the NCAA in order to obtain a license locally,” says Jano van der Walt, accountable manager at Signa Aviation Services.
Signa says that the establishment of domestic trade testing reduces Namibia’s reliance on foreign assessment bodies, improves access to technical qualifications and ensures that apprentices are trained and assessed within the country’s own operational and regulatory environment. The company already provides training in other African countries such as Angola, Botswana, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Senegal and South Africa.
Signa moved into a new 1,000 m2 (approximately 11,000 ft.2) facility near Westair Aviation’s hangar at Eros Airport in Windhoek in January, which includes “state-of-the-art classrooms as well as a brand new and fully equipped technical training area specifically for the AME training curriculum,” van der Walt says.
Students enrolled in the three-year AME training program undergo theory, practical and on-the-job training at Westair Aviation, which operates an aviation maintenance organization in addition to specialized services such as aircraft charters and leasing, flight training, air cargo, geophysical surveys, medical evacuation and air ambulances. It operates a fleet of Embraer ERJ145s, Beechcraft King Air 350ERs and various Cessna jets and turboprops.
Once students complete the AME training program’s requirements, “they go through what’s referred to as a trade preparation week, where they are prepared for the final written and practical examinations,” says van der Walt. The tests are performed by an NCAA-designated AME examiner.
According to van der Walt, most of the inaugural class at the school—which includes the nine graduates and 20 more students who will take their final trade tests in February—will be hired at Westair Group as part of its “vision to empower locally sourced and trained talent. However, this is a globally recognized license with the NCAA being an ICAO-compliant state,” he adds, noting that a graduate recently went to work for Lufthansa Technik in Germany.
Boeing’s 2025 Pilot and Technician Outlook predicts Africa will need 24,000 new technicians by 2044, so van der Walt says Signa and Westair plan to continue expanding the training program to meet demand. The companies also plan to obtain regulatory approvals from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency in the future.
Several other African countries and stakeholders have also been working to grow the continent’s MRO workforce pipeline. Airbus opened a new maintenance customer support center in Johannesburg this year that offers training services, and it is working to boost technical training and harmonize training standards across Africa.
Vallair partnered with the Cameroon Civil Aviation Authority in 2024 to cooperate in fields including workforce training and development. The country also launched an aircraft maintenance and recycling course in 2022.
Joramco Academy partnered with Aerojet Aviation in Ghana in 2022 to set up an Aerojet Aviation Training Academy in Accra.
Ethiopian Airlines has operated an aircraft maintenance technician school since 1967, and it is working with ATR to develop training capabilities for the manufacturer’s aircraft platforms, which are popular with airlines across Africa and the Middle East.
Egyptair Maintenance & Engineering grew its training programs during the pandemic, and it continues to expand its technical training portfolio.
Rwanda will open a Center of Excellence in Aviation Skills in 2028.
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