Get Guardian on GoogleNigeria has opened its air cargo arrangement with Rwanda to all exporters holding the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Certificate of Origin, following a four-month pilot phase aimed at reducing the cost of transporting Nigerian goods to markets in East and Southern Africa.
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, announced this in Lagos during the signing of an operational roadmap between the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and RwandAir at the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) WKND 2026.
Under the arrangement, Nigerian exporters can transport goods from Lagos to Kigali, Nairobi, Johannesburg, Harare and Lusaka at rates ranging from $1.20 to $1.90 per kilogramme.
Oduwole said the rates were between 50 and 70 per cent cheaper than those offered by comparable commercial carriers. She noted that before the arrangement, Nigerian exporters paid between $3 and $10 per kilogramme to transport goods to other African markets, a cost that undermined their competitiveness.
“Following a pilot phase of four months, I’m now pleased to announce to all Nigerian exporters that as long as you hold an AfCFTA Certificate of Origin, you can use Rwanda on the Nigeria-East Southern Africa Air Cargo Corridor,” she said.
She disclosed that the first shipment under the arrangement was flagged off on June 19, 2026, involving nine exporters sending goods to four destinations. Approximately 20 shipments have since moved through the corridor, according to information released at the event.
The operational roadmap provides for a three-year collaboration during which Nigeria and Rwanda will explore mutually beneficial cargo rates and address distribution challenges through government-to-government engagement. The ministry also plans to include Rwanda in its AfCFTA capacity-building programmes for Nigerian exporters where possible.
Oduwole said the initiative followed negotiations facilitated by the Federal Government in April 2026, with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Bureau for Africa. This was followed by discussions between President Bola Tinubu and Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Kigali in May.
She also disclosed that Nigeria’s non-oil exports reached $6.1 billion in 2025, representing an 11.5 per cent increase over the previous year. The minister said the government was working to sustain the growth by addressing logistics costs, market access and export financing.
She announced the launch of Nigeria’s Trade Intelligence Portal, designed to provide trade and investment data, information on investment inflows and a virtual deal room connecting investors with curated opportunities. According to her, the portal’s first phase had gone live.
RwandAir’s Regional Manager for West and Central Africa, Ginnette Kadagiri, said the arrangement was already being used by exporters, with consignments moving weekly to Kenya, Rwanda and South Africa. She said the airline would obtain detailed export statistics from the ministry.
Kadagiri explained that the lower freight charges were intended to make regional markets more accessible to Nigerian businesses, including entrepreneurs in the creative and food sectors. She said affordable transportation could encourage businesses that had previously concentrated on the domestic market to consider exporting.
She added that air freight offered shorter delivery times, security and clearer documentation procedures, although the choice between air and road transportation would depend on the destination and nature of the goods.
Rwanda’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ambassador Moses Rugema, described the agreement as a step towards making African markets more accessible and competitive, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses.
“Governments can establish frameworks and sign roadmaps, but it is businesses that ultimately bring these opportunities to life,” he said, urging exporters to engage with RwandAir and take advantage of the connections offered by the partnership.
Rugema said the agreement built on the longstanding relationship between both countries, noting that RwandAir would mark 15 years of operations in Lagos in December.
