KEY POINTS

• NCAA will launch its Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems portal at DroneTecX 2026, scheduled for May 12 to 16 in Lagos.
• The platform will handle drone registration, operator certification, incident reporting, ownership transfers and compliance management.
• The launch aligns with Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations Part 22 and is expected to cut bureaucratic delays in the drone sector.

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority will launch a digital portal to handle drone registration, certification and compliance at the sixth Africa International Drone Technology Conference and Exhibition, in a move aimed at cutting bureaucratic delays for one of Nigeria’s fastest-growing aviation segments.

The agency said the Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems portal will go live at DroneTecX 2026, scheduled for May 12 to 16 at the NIGAV Expo Centre, Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

Now the announcement, signed by NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection Michael Achimugu and posted on the agency’s X handle on Saturday, marks the regulator’s clearest digital push in years for an industry that has expanded faster than its paperwork has tracked.

One platform, full lifecycle

Specifically, the portal consolidates the entire application and approval lifecycle into a single, user-friendly system, the NCAA said. Operators can submit documentation, upload safety case files and track application status in real time.

Indeed, the platform will handle drone registration, operator certification, incident reporting, ownership transfers and compliance management for individuals, small and medium-scale enterprises and commercial operators.

“The new digital portal consolidates the entire application and approval lifecycle into a single, user-friendly platform,” the agency said in its statement. “Operators can now submit documentation, upload safety case files and track application status in real time, all in full compliance with Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig. CARs Part 22).”

Moreover, the launch lands as Nigeria’s drone sector edges into agriculture, aerial mapping, security surveillance, telecoms infrastructure inspection and creative production. Today, drone use cases multiply faster than regulators can review applications under traditional paper systems, and the portal is meant to close that gap.

Additionally, the NCAA said the digitization will reduce bureaucratic hurdles and improve efficiency, an issue operators have flagged repeatedly in industry forums.

DroneTecX 2026 stage

Furthermore, DroneTecX 2026 will host the formal launch alongside live demonstrations of the platform. The agency urged prospective users, stakeholders, operators and drone service providers to attend for hands-on guidance.

Meanwhile, interested parties can preview the portal at www.rpas.ncaa.gov.ng ahead of the official rollout, the NCAA said. The conference itself, now in its sixth year, has become the largest drone industry gathering in West Africa.

The portal anchors itself to Part 22 of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations, the legal framework governing remotely piloted aircraft. Notably, that section sets out airworthiness, operator certification and operational rules that apply to commercial and recreational drone use.

However, compliance has historically been uneven, with many operators flying without registration or operating outside permitted airspace. The new portal is expected to make registration easier, even if enforcement remains a separate question for the agency’s safety inspectors.

What it means for operators

Together, the digital lift should ease entry for new operators while giving the NCAA cleaner data on who is flying what, where and for what purpose. Indeed, regulators across Africa have struggled to balance encouragement of an emerging industry with the safety risks that come from low-altitude unmanned flight near airports, crowds and sensitive infrastructure.

Whether the portal closes the regulator-operator gap will depend on uptake, customer support and how aggressively the NCAA enforces Part 22 once the platform is live. Yet for now, Nigerian drone operators have one less reason to blame paperwork for delays in getting their fleets airborne.