The Speaker, Economic Community of West African States, (ECOWAS), Hadja Mémounatou Ibrahima, has decried the high cost of airfare within the West African region, worried that it has hindered free movement and integration of the region.

Noting that air transport remained an essential lever for economic development and sub-regional integration, she insisted that there can be no free movement without transport facilitation.

Ibrahima, who spoke yesterday at the opening of the 6th Legislature Delocalised meeting of the Joint Committee on Infrastructure, Energy and Mines, Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources, in Lome, Togo, said the theme of the meeting, ‘Air Transport as a Means of Integration for West African
Peoples: A Strategy for Reducing Airline Ticket Costs’, reflected a major issue confronting citizens of the sub-region.

“The prohibitive costs of air travel between our countries has hindered the free movement of people and compromise our ambitions for regional integration.

“Therefore, there is no need to emphasise the importance of air transport in a country’s economy, especially within a sub-regional community. Indeed, air transport is an essential lever for economic development and sub-regional integration. It promotes trade, stimulates tourism, strengthens cultural and social ties, and contributes to the growth of our economies.

“In reality, there can be no free movement without transport facilitation. And among these facilitations, transport costs figure prominently.”

The Speaker further attributed the various taxes and charges for the prohibitive cost of airfare within the subregion.

She said: “These airports contribute financially to state budgets in several ways, including landing fees, air ticket taxes, security taxes, non-aviation taxes and revenues from commercial activities at the airport.

“However, it is clear that all these fees make air ticket costs prohibitive within the ECOWAS region, thus hampering a major driver of development: tourism.

“For my part, several factors may contribute to the high cost of air fares in our region. These include, among others, excessive taxation and high airport fees; a fragmented aviation market with national airlines operating in isolation rather than in synergy; lack of modern infrastructure adapted to the needs of air transport; weak implementation of agreements liberalising African airspace, notably the Yamoussoukro Declaration.”

She admonished that for the sub-region to achieve its vision 2050 of Economic Integration and Interconnectivity, it must ensure a more accessible and efficient air transport.

“If we are to achieve the objectives of the third pillar of ECOWAS Vision 2050, which is ‘Economic Integration and Interconnectivity,’ it is up to us, as representatives of the peoples of ECOWAS and in view of our responsibility in the community’s decision-making process, to explore viable and sustainable solutions. Our role is crucial in the realisation of these reforms.”

Ibrahima, therefore, charged members of the Legislature to formulate strong recommendations to Member States and relevant institutions to ensure the establishment of a framework that is conducive to more accessible and efficient air transport.

“I am convinced that the discussions that will take place during this meeting, to which we have invited African air transport experts and leaders, will be fruitful and will lead to concrete proposals to address this major challenge.

“Together, let us commit to working towards more efficient regional aviation, serving the integration and development of our community and for significant progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the aspirations that underpinned the African Union’s Agenda 2063”, she said.