The Secretary-General of Airports Council International Africa (ACI Africa), Mr. Ali Tounsi has said the forthcoming Annual General Assembly will address major challenges facing African airports and prepare them for future demands.

Tounsi stated this in Abuja yesterday at a press briefing ahead of the 35th ACI Africa Annual General Assembly, 76th Board and Committees Meetings, Regional Conference and Exhibition slated for September 19 to 25, 2026.

The conference which has attracted over 500 delegates and about 40 exhibitors across the continent themed Next-Gen Airports: Driving Performance and Resilience” would focus on how to build and operate airports that can withstand emerging challenges in the aviation sector.

According to the ACI Scribe, African airport industry is grappling with two critical issues, financial viability and a rapidly changing operating environment.

“As you know, the industry is facing a lot of problems, mainly the efficiency of airports. Most of the big airports are efficient, but 80 per cent of the airports in Africa are not efficient financially. That is the first challenge,” he said.

He added: “The second is the changing environment of airports , digitalisation, and also all the problems related to natural catastrophes, accidents, and a lot of other problems that airports are facing in Africa.”

Tounsi explained that the conference would go beyond infrastructure and funding to examine the full ecosystem of airport operations.

“So this conference is about helping airports and demonstrating how we can face all these problems in the future. It’s not about infrastructure only. It’s not about money only. It’s about everything – digitalisation, preparation, environment, skills, people, the future, everything,” he said.

The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Olubunmi Kuku, said the conference provided an opportunity for Nigeria to showcase achievements recorded in its airport transformation journey.

She listed infrastructure development, airfield lighting, runway rehabilitation and other safety facilities among the areas of improvement.

Kuku said the event would bring together airport operators and other stakeholders from across Africa to exchange ideas, share knowledge and explore technologies and infrastructure capable of improving airport operations and passenger experience.

She said Nigeria’s hosting of the event was significant, particularly as the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, are among the busiest airports in the region.

“For us, it’s an opportunity for the delegates to come together and for us to be able to showcase the landmark achievements that we have made as Nigeria and the journey that we’re going through now around transformation across our international airports,” she said.

Kuku, however, acknowledged that Nigeria still had areas to improve, noting that the country was “still sort of playing catch-up” with developments in some other aviation markets.

She said about 40 exhibitors at the conference would provide airport operators with an opportunity to examine modern technologies, upgraded infrastructure and service solutions that could be adopted within the African airport environment.

The Chairman of the Local Organising Committee and Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, FAAN, Henry Agbebire, said the objective was not merely to host a successful event but to generate ideas, partnerships and practical solutions that could improve airport performance across Africa.

He disclosed that activities would begin with ACI Africa committee meetings, while the official opening ceremony would take place on September 22 at the Abuja Continental Hotel.

The week-long programme will also feature ACI Africa statutory meetings, a regional conference, technical sessions, an industry exhibition, networking engagements and the ACI Africa Passenger Facilitation and Customer Experience Excellence Awards.

Agbebire urged the media to focus beyond the ceremonies and personalities to the issues affecting the development of African airports.