The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has said Nigeria is pursuing policies aimed at improving aviation infrastructure, attracting airlines and opening more direct routes across Africa.
Keyamo noted this on Tuesday at the 2026 ACI Africa Regional Conference and Exhibition in Abuja, with theme: “Next-Gen Airports: Driving Performance and Resilience.”
The minister highlighted infrastructure upgrades, improved aviation regulation and increased access to aircraft as some of the developments in the sector.
He said the Federal Government had committed significant resources to upgrading airport and aviation infrastructure across the country.
Keyamo cited ongoing works at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, as well as runway and other infrastructure projects in several airports.
According to him, the policy changes in the sector had also encouraged new routes and increased airline interest in the Nigerian market.
He said Nigeria’s International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) safety score had risen from 49.5 per cent before the administration took office to 75.5 per cent, which he described as the highest in Africa.
Keyamo also linked the increased availability of aircraft and competition among airlines to a reduction in airfares, although he stressed that the sector had not reached its desired level.
“Tickets are coming down. They are not what they were in January, in December. They have come down,” he said.
“It’s because of competition. We have created healthy competition among the airlines, because they now have access to aircraft. We are not there yet.”
The minister said the government’s aviation policies were designed for long-term impact rather than quick fixes, adding that the effect of some of the measures was gradually becoming evident.
On regional connectivity, Keyamo said Nigeria was championing the implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), with the objective of making movement between African countries easier.
He cited the reopening of direct air connectivity between Abuja and Yaoundé as an example of the emerging changes.
“Before, in Nigeria, for example, you cannot even go to Cameroon directly from Abuja. You have to go back to Togo first to connect to Cameroon. But today, we have air operators who brought them in to connect Abuja, Yaoundé,” he said.
He added that several other applications for new African routes were under consideration.
Keyamo also said the conference had provided opportunities for Nigerian airport operators to engage directly with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), airlines and other aviation technology providers.
The Chairman of the FAAN Governing Board, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, said improving interconnectivity should be one of the major outcomes of the conference.
Ganduje said Africans should not have to travel through Europe to reach neighbouring countries on the continent.
“Our take-home for this conference is interconnectivity,” he said.
He added that achieving greater connectivity required cooperation among governments, airport operators, airlines and other stakeholders, as well as investment in infrastructure and technology.
Earlier, the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Vice President of ACI Africa, Olubunmi Onabanjo-Kuku, said Nigeria’s aviation market had recorded significant passenger and capacity growth.
She said Nigeria recorded more than 18.8 million domestic and international passengers in 2025, representing an 11.9 per cent year-on-year increase.
Onabanjo-Kuku said Nigeria’s scheduled airline capacity for September 2026 stood at about 1.19 million seats, representing a 37.4 per cent increase over the same period in 2025.
She, however, noted that Africa still faced challenges including funding constraints, infrastructure gaps, high operating costs, fragmented connectivity and the financial fragility of airlines.
She called for greater investment in airport infrastructure, digital systems, human capital and partnerships with private investors and development finance institutions.
