Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has called for stronger commitment to aviation reforms across Africa, urging governments to move beyond policy declarations and focus on practical measures that improve connectivity and reduce air travel costs. Keyamo made the call during the African Air Transport Expo 2026 organised by the African Civil […]
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Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has called for stronger commitment to aviation reforms across Africa, urging governments to move beyond policy declarations and focus on practical measures that improve connectivity and reduce air travel costs.
Speaking on the implementation of SAATM, the minister stressed the need for African countries to translate agreements into action by removing barriers to air connectivity across the continent.
According to him, Africa’s aviation growth depends on unrestricted market access and the effective implementation of traffic rights that allow airlines to operate more freely across borders.
“We must move from signatures to actual traffic rights. Over the next 24 months, Nigeria will streamline permits for African carriers, align air agreements, and lead the Banjul Accord Group to progressively treat West Africa as a unified domestic market,” Keyamo said.
He noted that improved air connectivity would strengthen trade, tourism, investment and regional integration across the continent.
On the issue of affordability, the minister reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to lowering operating costs for airlines and reducing the burden on passengers.
“Aviation is an economic enabler, not a revenue collection point. Nigeria is aggressively driving down costs through a 30 per cent discount on statutory fees for domestic operators approved by the President, transitioning toward VAT neutrality and auditing duplicate levies,” he stated.
Keyamo urged African governments and industry stakeholders to prioritise measurable outcomes that directly impact airlines and passengers.
“The real test of our success is no longer how many declarations we adopt, but how many African routes we open, how many restrictions we remove, and how many passengers actually benefit,” he added.
His remarks were widely welcomed by participants, who described Nigeria’s commitments as a positive step towards accelerating the implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market and creating a more competitive and accessible aviation industry across Africa.
The African Air Transport Expo brought together ministers, regulators, airline executives, airport operators, development finance institutions and other stakeholders to discuss strategies for transforming Africa’s aviation sector into a catalyst for economic growth and regional integration.
The event comes amid growing efforts to strengthen Africa’s aviation industry, following the African Development Bank’s proposed $7 billion Aviation Transformation Programme aimed at improving air transport infrastructure and connectivity across the continent.
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