In a move aimed at curbing the rising costs of official air travel, the Federal Government launched the BisonFly Project on Thursday. This centralized, technology-driven initiative is designed to optimize air travel across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), ensuring a reduction in expenses and promoting cost-effectiveness.
At the launch ceremony in Abuja, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, officially inaugurated the project team. In his address, Edun highlighted the BisonFly Project as a critical step toward prudent financial management, focusing on structured planning, centralized booking, and the utilization of discounted rates to achieve substantial savings.
“This initiative marks a significant step in ensuring transparency and efficiency in official travel arrangements,” said Edun. “By leveraging digital booking tools and a centralized platform, we aim to streamline government air travel and ensure cost-effectiveness.”
Edun also noted that the project draws on global best practices, such as those adopted by the World Bank, where collective bargaining power is used to secure substantial savings on travel costs. He emphasized the importance of coordinating travel to take full advantage of the government’s collective bargaining power, thereby reducing expenditure and improving service delivery.
Mr. Raymond Omenka Omachi, the Permanent Secretary for Special Duties at the Federal Ministry of Finance, commended the minister’s leadership in launching BisonFly. Omachi described the project as a model for fiscal responsibility that could serve as an example for reforms in the broader public service.
Developed by the Ministry’s Efficiency Unit in collaboration with ICT advisors and other stakeholders, the BisonFly Project will be overseen by a dedicated implementation team. The platform is set to go live in the coming months, with the aim of delivering measurable cost-saving results across government agencies.
