- Africa’s airfreight sector is undergoing a structural shift, with projected growth of 6 percent in 2025 driven by rising intra-African trade, expanding consumer demand, and the need for faster, more resilient supply chains.
- Companies are moving away from sea-dominated logistics toward integrated airfreight solutions, using speed and reliability as competitive tools, while providers expand end-to-end services across freight, customs, and last-mile delivery.
- Despite rapid growth and emerging regional hubs, constraints such as high costs, limited infrastructure, and inefficient customs persist—creating both barriers and investment opportunities as airfreight becomes central to trade competitiveness under AfCFTA.
While the global cargo market struggles, Africa is defying expectations, with projected growth of 6 percent in 2025—well above global forecasts. This isn’t a rebound; it’s a structural shift reshaping logistics across the continent.
In a sluggish global economy, Africa’s airfreight sector is showing remarkable vitality. The surge is driven by rising intra-African trade, expanding consumer markets, and companies increasingly relying on reliable logistics to compete internationally. Yet challenges remain: uneven connectivity, high operating costs, and slow customs processes. For investors, airport groups, and innovative logistics providers, these obstacles are opportunities in disguise.
Shifting supply chains
Maham Diallo, director of technical textile operations, recalls pre-Covid supply strategies: “Cost optimisation was everything. Ninety-five percent of our supplies arrived by sea, with six to eight-week delivery times from Asia. Airfreight was a luxury, reserved for emergencies—a broken machine, missing tooling, or very lightweight, high-value electronics. It was under five percent of our flow and strictly controlled.”
For many companies, this wasn’t just a preference—it was the norm. “Everyone operated this way: competitors, suppliers… Sea freight was the backbone. Our annual goal was simply to cut container costs by two to three percent,” he adds.
Today, the landscape is shifting. Airfreight is no longer just a contingency tool; it’s a core part of supply chain strategy, especially for companies aiming for resilience and speed. Baye Fily, marketing director at Paps, a Senegal-based tech-focused logistics firm, explains: “Our express service, Easy Coly, brings packages from France to Senegal several times a week. We also act as the official representatives of China for this purpose.”
Fily highlights the diversity of clients: “We serve businesses and individuals. B2B remains our strength, but B2C is growing. Airfreight allows clients to bypass 40-day sea shipping. It’s a solution for companies discovering resilience in supply chains and for established exporters.”
Paps now operates as a fully integrated logistics provider, managing air and sea freight, national and international transport, transit, customs clearance, and last-mile delivery. “We handle everything from start to finish,” says Fily.
Africa’s role
Experts see Africa’s airfreight growth as part of a broader structural transformation. Yaya Ahmed Lamine, an African trade and logistics specialist, notes: “Key regional hubs are emerging. Ethiopian Airlines handled over 700,000 tons in 2023. Nairobi is improving cold-chain capacity for horticulture. Casablanca launched a new freight link to Dakar in January 2026. Alternative corridors, like Oman Air Cargo’s Kigali route in June 2026, are bypassing traditional European platforms. Intra-African airfreight is growing fastest globally, +16.6 percent in October 2025, fuelled by the AfCFTA and demand for perishables and pharmaceuticals.”
Yet structural limitations persist. “Freight remains concentrated at Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Johannesburg, and Casablanca,” Lamine says. “Beyond these hubs, ageing infrastructure, limited refrigerated storage, and manual customs procedures dominate. External intermediaries control 91 percent of container capacity, while Gulf hubs like Dubai and Doha still handle significant airfreight volumes.”
Dr Eugene Nweke of SEREC emphasises logistics as a critical competitive factor: “Countries succeeding under AfCFTA will minimise logistics costs, ensure predictability, and operate reliable supply chains. Airfreight is no longer secondary; it determines competitiveness.”
High costs remain a barrier. Port and airport surcharges act as non-tariff barriers that penalise local exporters, while access to reliable airfreight enables the export of high-value products—fresh produce, pharmaceuticals, technical textiles—to profitable markets.
With AfCFTA opening access to 1.3 billion consumers, industries that can rapidly supply this market via efficient air corridors gain a decisive advantage. Africa’s logistics transformation is not just a sectoral story; it is central to economic growth and global trade integration.
