The Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has affirmed Nigeria’s potential to become the aviation hub of Africa. This, he said, was in view of the nation’s strategic geographical location.
He was speaking at the ongoing International Route Development Conference, Network Cargo 2024, in Moscow, Russia.
The Network Cargo 2024 conference, which focused on enhancing global partnerships and improving freight forwarding services, attracted transport ministers and industry leaders from around the world, all aiming to establish efficient and competitive cargo routes.
In his words at the conference, Keyamo stated, “Geographically, we are in the best position to be the real hub of Africa. If you look at the map, we are equidistant to South America, Europe, and Asia. We are about 6 to 7 hours from Doha, Dubai, and Brazil. With our population, we have the dream to develop a real hub for Africa”.
Keyamo noted that substantial volume of international air traffic originates from the Nigeria but which is largely serviced by foreign airlines.
Said he, “Most of the flights originating from Nigeria are not indigenous. Airlines from Ethiopia, Egypt, Morocco, and others feed on our traffic. They know that Nigerians travel all over the world”.
The Minister then reiterated that the current administration in Nigeria is poised to ensure that the nation’s aviation sector reaps the benefits of its air traffic, saying, “Instead of giving up our traffic and airspace to other people, we are focused on ramping up the capacity of our local airlines. That is a major priority of President Tinubu’s administration”.
Keyamo went on to disclose Nigeria’s plans to enhance its international aviation reach by establishing direct routes to South America, particularly Brazil, stating that the nation is working to open up direct routes from Nigeria to South America, to address the gap in its aviation connectivity.
He went further to emphasize Nigeria’s commitment to achieving global standards in aviation by strengthening local airline capacity, securing international partnerships, and expanding direct routes to underserved regions.
These, he said are the government’s efforts aimed at positioning Nigeria as a key player in the global aviation industry and enhance the country’s connectivity and economic growth.
