As part of activities marking the celebration of Africa Day 2026, the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI) has announced a major expansion of Nigeria’s implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) through a new partnership with RwandAir for the Nigeria–East and Southern Africa Air Cargo Corridor.

Before the corridor’s establishment, Nigerian exporters were forced to pay cargo costs between $3 and $10 per kilogram for goods sent to East and Southern Africa. This situation made the cost of trade prohibitive and reduced the price competitiveness of Nigerian goods.

On Africa Day last year, the FMITI launched the Nigeria–East and Southern Africa Air Cargo Corridor through a partnership with Uganda Airlines. This partnership provides Nigerian exporters with tiered and rebated rates of up to 70 per cent below those of other commercial carriers for goods exported to Entebbe, Uganda; Nairobi, Kenya and Johannesburg, South Africa.

Today, on Africa Day 2026, the ministry’s partnership with RwandAir has extended the corridor to Kigali, Harare and Lusaka as new destinations and gives Nigerian exporters a second choice of carrier on the Nairobi and Johannesburg routes.

Cargo rates on the RwandAir routes are set at under $2 per kilogram for all five destinations, ensuring that Nigerian goods can access destination markets quickly and affordably. The RwandAir partnership will be formally flagged off next month.

Minister, FMITI, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, said: “One year ago, we promised that the AfCFTA would work in practice for Nigerian businesses, not only on paper. We set out to solve a practical problem. Nigerian businesses have goods that African markets want, but the cost of cargo is too high.

This corridor has kept that promise, and our whole-of-economy approach to AfCFTA implementation is yielding results.

“Nigeria’s non-oil exports to other African markets rose from $150 million in 2024 to $207 million in 2025. With RwandAir, we are widening the air cargo corridor so that more Nigerian exporters can reach more markets at a cost that allows them to compete. These results show what is possible when the government creates the enabling environment and businesses respond with ambition.”