The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said President Bola Tinubu’s reforms in the aviation sector have reduced airfares and attracted new airlines and aircraft to the Nigerian market.
He added that the reforms have also opened new routes and increased competition.
The minister spoke in Abuja on Tuesday at the 35th Airports Council International (ACI) Africa Annual General Assembly, the 76th Board and Committee Meetings, and the Regional Conference and Exhibition.
He said implementing the Cape Town Convention and efforts to attract foreign investment and aircraft were designed to address aviation sector challenges and provide long-term solutions.
Keyamo said, ‘We have created healthy competition among the airlines because they now have access to aircraft and the impact of the reforms is felt across the sector.’
He said the rehabilitation and expansion of airport infrastructure was another visible area of progress, citing the ongoing work at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Terminal 1 in Lagos as a major intervention.
He also pointed to improvements in runways and other airport infrastructure across the country, saying the Federal Government was committed to upgrading aviation infrastructure and positioning Nigeria as a major aviation hub.
The minister said Nigeria’s safety performance has also improved, noting that the country recorded an effective implementation score of 91.45 per cent following the 2026 International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) validation mission.
He described the result as Nigeria’s highest-ever score, but said it should be regarded as a new baseline rather than the destination for the country’s aviation sector.
Beyond Nigeria’s gains, the minister said the next major challenge for African aviation was improving connectivity across the continent.
He said it should not be easier for passengers to travel from an African city to a destination outside the continent than to travel between two African countries.
‘Africa needs stronger intra-African connectivity, commercially viable airports, appropriate regulatory frameworks, and closer cooperation among governments, airlines, airport operators and other stakeholders.’
Keyamo called for African countries to reduce protectionist policies, arguing that greater cooperation was necessary to unlock the benefits of regional integration.
He cited the European single-sky model as an example of how countries could work together for broader regional benefit, saying African countries needed to learn from such arrangements.
According to him, the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) provide important frameworks for improving connectivity and economic integration.
He said the AfCFTA could not realise its full potential without effective transport links across the continent.
The minister said the African Development Bank and other development institutions recognise aviation’s importance to the continent’s economic development and are supporting programmes to improve connectivity.
He cited the establishment of direct air links between Abuja and Yaoundé as an example of progress, noting that passengers previously had to connect through other countries to make the journey.
He said several applications for new routes were before the ministry, adding that Africa was gradually becoming more connected as demand for air transport increased.
He urged African countries to focus on building infrastructure, strengthening policies and developing institutional capacity to convert the continent’s aviation potential into sustainable economic value.
According to him, airports must also evolve beyond facilities for aircraft operations and become economic ecosystems that support tourism, logistics, trade, investment and employment.
He said the future of African aviation would depend on airports and governments improving safety, efficiency, technology, passenger experience and resilience while strengthening connections across the continent.
The Board Chairman of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Abdullahi Ganduje, said air links across Africa require collective action by governments, airlines and other stakeholders.
He said the conference would give leaders the opportunity to examine the facilities and technologies needed to make travel across the continent more direct and efficient.