Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has called for stronger regulations, commercially viable airports and closer cooperation among African countries to improve travel across the continent.
Keyamo made the call on Tuesday at the 35th ACI Africa annual general assembly, board and committees meetings, regional conference and exhibition. The event focused on the role of next generation airports in improving performance and resilience across Africa. The minister identified poor connectivity as one of the major obstacles limiting intra African travel. He said it should not take longer to travel between neighbouring African countries than to reach destinations outside the continent.
“Africa needs stronger intra-African connectivity, commercially viable airports, appropriate regulatory frameworks and closer cooperation among governments, airlines, airport operators and other stakeholders,” he said.
Keyamo also criticised protectionist policies among African countries, arguing that governments must be prepared to make concessions where necessary to improve regional integration.
“This idea of protectionism must be lowered. This idea among African nations to protect their tops at all costs. They are not willing to give up their sovereignty in any way,” the minister said.
He described the current situation as unacceptable, noting that travelling between African countries can involve lengthy journeys and multiple connections.
“It cannot be easier for me to just pick up a ticket today and I get to Paris the next day or the next morning and then I spend two days or 24 hours on the road sleeping, and trying to connect a neighbour in Africa. That is not acceptable at all.”
Keyamo said the Single African Air Transport Market, SAATM, provides an important platform for improving air connectivity and supporting regional economic integration. He also linked better aviation networks to the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA, arguing that trade integration cannot work effectively without reliable transportation links.
“We cannot make the African continental free trade area function… we cannot bring it alive without connectivity. If you don’t connect Africa, you cannot develop Africa. You have to connect Africa first,” he said. “When African airports connect Africa more effectively, Africa becomes smaller and opportunities become larger.”
The minister also urged African airports to accelerate the use of technology. He said biometric systems, artificial intelligence, automation and data can improve passenger processing, reduce queues and support better operational decisions.
“But technology is only meaningful when it makes a person’s journey safer, easier, faster, and more dignified. We should move in tune with the world,” he added.
Keyamo said airports should also reduce dependence on manual procedures, including physical passport stamping, as part of efforts to create smarter and more efficient facilities.
“We must therefore build a smart, build smarter airports with human efforts. This is therefore a call for collective action,” the minister said.
Meanwhile, Olubunmi Kuku, managing director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, said Africa accounts for only one percent of global air traffic despite representing about 18 percent of the world’s population. Kuku said African aviation continues to face funding shortages, infrastructure gaps, high operating costs and fragmented connectivity. She said Nigeria records about 18.8 million passengers annually across 28 airports despite having a population of more than 220 million.
“In Nigeria alone, with a population exceeding 220 million, we record about 18.8 million passengers annually across 28 airports. The potential is vast, but the gap between where we are and where we could be remains substantial,” Kuku said. She identified intelligent infrastructure, operational resilience, financial sustainability, human capital and partnerships as key priorities for developing African airports.
“We must build commercially viable partnerships with private investors, airlines, technology providers, logistics companies, and development finance institutions,” she said.
Kuku also called for predictable and commercially disciplined policies that can attract long term investment into airport infrastructure across the continent.
