It was a symbolic moment when the Managing Director/Chief Executive of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, formally passed the hosting mantle to Senegal after Nigeria hosted the 35th Airports Council International (ACI) Africa Annual General Assembly, Regional Conference and Exhibition, in Abuja.
With the handover, attention has now shifted to Dakar, where Senegal is expected to build on the momentum generated in Abuja when it hosts the 36th ACI Africa Annual General Assembly, Regional Conference and Exhibition in the country.
From 20-26 March 2027, Senegal, represented by LAS (Limak-AIBD-Summa), the operator of Blaise Diagne International Airport, is expected to organise the event.
The Abuja event, which attracted more than 500 airport professionals, policymakers, aviation experts, technology providers and other industry stakeholders from across Africa and beyond, was held from September 19 to 25, under the theme: ‘Next-Gen Airports: Driving Performance and Resilience.’
For one week, Abuja became a meeting point for Africa’s airport operators, regulators, policymakers, technology providers and aviation professionals.
The discussions centred on some of the most consequential issues confronting the continent›s airports, including operational efficiency, digital transformation, infrastructure modernisation, sustainability, passenger experience and resilience.
FAAN’s hosting of the event also placed Nigeria’s airport management system and infrastructure under the spotlight, providing an opportunity for the country to showcase its aviation capabilities while engaging with developments taking place across the continent.
Although Senegal is now in the picture, the transition from Abuja to Dakar should not be regarded merely as the routine movement of an annual aviation conference from one host country to another.
Rather, it should represent a continuation of the conversation and, more importantly, a test of whether African airports can translate conference resolutions, technical presentations and policy discussions into measurable improvements on the ground.
ACI Africa exists to promote cooperation, professional excellence and the exchange of knowledge among airports across the continent. Its annual conference therefore provides an important platform for airport executives, regulators, policymakers and industry partners to compare experiences, examine emerging technologies and develop common approaches to shared challenges.
For Nigeria, hosting the 35th edition was an opportunity to present its airport infrastructure and aviation capabilities to the African and international airport community.
FAAN had positioned the Abuja conference as a platform for bringing together airport CEOs, civil aviation authorities, policymakers, technology innovators and other stakeholders. The programme featured high-level discussions, technical workshops, exhibitions, business-to-business engagements and sessions focusing on smart airport technologies, climate-resilient infrastructure, passenger experience, safety innovation and public-private partnerships.
For Nigeria, the discussions were particularly relevant. The country has one of Africa›s largest aviation markets and a network of airports serving major commercial and population centres. Yet, airport development continues to face familiar challenges, including infrastructure renewal, congestion at strategic gateways, passenger processing, surface access, commercial sustainability, funding constraints and the need to maintain international standards amid local economic realities.
The Abuja conference therefore offered Nigeria more than an opportunity to host an international aviation gathering. It provided a platform for Nigerian airport managers and other industry stakeholders to examine their systems against developments elsewhere in Africa and to identify areas where operational and technological improvements could be accelerated.
The real measure of Abuja, however, should not be the number of delegates who attended, the number of organisations represented or the scale of the exhibition. It should be what changes after the conference.
Having received the hosting rights, Senegal now has the opportunity to take the issues raised in Abuja and examine them within its own airport-development experience, while providing the wider African industry with another opportunity to assess what works, what does not and what can be replicated.
Abuja has passed the baton to Dakar. The responsibility now is to ensure that the baton carries forward not just the memory of a successful conference, but a measurable programme of action.