NAMA Director of Engineering bags APWEN leadership award

Lagos State Chapter of the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) has conferred its Outstanding Public Service Award on the Director of Safety Electronics and Engineering Services of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Terese Ihenachor.

According to her citation by the association, Ihenachor was recognised “for her outstanding commitment to engineering excellence, empowerment of women engineers and sustainable professional development.”

The award, which was presented during the maiden APWEN Lagos Engineering Summit, sought to celebrate women whose leadership is impacting women, advancing engineering, innovation and efficiency in public service.

Ihenachor made history in December 2023, when she became NAMA’s first female substantive Director of Safety Electronics and Engineering Services. Since assuming office, she has provided strategic direction for the maintenance, modernisation and reliability of the agency’s Communications, Navigation and Surveillance/Air Traffic Management infrastructure nationwide.

Under her leadership, the directorate has recorded significant progress in the upgrade and deployment of critical communication, navigational and surveillance facilities required for safe, efficient and seamless flight operations in the nation’s airspace. She has strengthened the maintenance regime for safety-critical systems, enhanced technical planning and operational coordination, and prioritised the timely calibration of navigational aids to ensure their accuracy, integrity and conformity with applicable international standards.

A notable demonstration of her operational leadership was the recent deployment of a Mobile Control Tower at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, following a fire incident that affected critical air-ground communication infrastructure at the old terminal. The swift intervention ensured continuity of safe air navigation services at Nigeria’s busiest aviation hub.

Under her technical supervision, the facility was tested and adapted to Nigeria’s operational requirements through local innovations, including a smart flight-strip system and seamless connectivity with NAMA’s Centrex and Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria systems while arrangements have commenced for the deployment of another mobile tower to support Runway 18R.

Ihenachor joined the civil aviation sector in 1994 and rose through several technical and managerial positions, including General Manager, Workshop, Planning and Logistics before her appointment as Director.

She is a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Nigerian Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers and Nigerian Institute of Management. A former APWEN Secretary and Treasurer, she also founded the Girl-Child Engineer Initiative