The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has challenged African governments and aviation stakeholders to urgently address the continent’s poor intra-African air connectivity.

He said that it should not be easier to fly from an African city to a destination outside the continent than to another African city.

A statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the minister, Tunde Moshood, said Keyamo made the statement yesterday in Abuja during the opening ceremony of the 35th Airports Council International (ACI) Africa Annual General Assembly, 76th Board and Committee Meetings, Regional Conference and Exhibition.

According to Keyamo, stronger air connectivity was essential to achieving deeper economic integration, expanding trade and tourism and unlocking the enormous economic potential of the continent.

He said Africa had the market, population, geographical spread, tourism resources and entrepreneurial capacity required to develop a vibrant aviation industry, but lacked the infrastructure, connectivity and institutional capacity needed to fully convert those advantages into sustainable economic value.

Keyamo challenged African governments, airlines, airport operators and regulators to work together to develop commercially viable airports, appropriate regulatory frameworks and stronger air links across the continent.

The minister also described the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) as an important framework for addressing the continent’s connectivity challenges, while noting that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was creating a larger economic space in which aviation must play a critical role.

He said: “It should not be easier to travel between an African city and a destination outside the continent than to travel between two African cities.
“When African airports connect Africa more effectively, Africa becomes smaller, and opportunity becomes larger.”

Keyamo stressed that improved intra-African connectivity would not only facilitate passenger movement, but also support trade, investment, tourism and the movement of goods and services across national borders.
He therefore urged African countries to move beyond policy discussions and create the conditions that would make air services between African cities commercially viable.
The expressed that the next generation of African airports must be designed around safety, efficiency, financial sustainability, technology, environmental responsibility and resilience to disruptions.

Keyamo also used the occasion to mentioned the progress in Nigeria’s aviation sector, including the country’s 91.45 per cent Effective Implementation score recorded after the 2026 International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Coordinated Validation Mission.
He described the score as Nigeria’s highest-ever result, noting that it demonstrated the Federal government’s commitment to improving aviation safety oversight and regulatory standards.
Keyamo also disclosed that the government was modernising airport infrastructure, expanding aviation value chains and encouraging greater private-sector participation in airport infrastructure and services.
The minister called on delegates at the ACI Africa conference to ensure that the discussions translated into practical policies, partnerships and investments capable of strengthening Africa’s aviation industry.
Besides, the minister commended the leadership of ACI Africa and recognised Nigeria’s contribution to the organisation through the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Olubunmi Kuku, who serves as Vice-President of ACI Africa.