…as Intra-African trade climbs to $207m in 2025
Nigeria has expanded its African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) implementation drive with a new partnership between the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and RwandAir aimed at significantly reducing air cargo costs for exporters shipping goods across East and Southern Africa.
Under the new arrangement, cargo rates on all five destinations serviced by RwandAir will cost exporters less than $2 per kilogram, a sharp reduction from the previous rates that ranged between $3 and $10 per kilogram.
According to a statement by the ministry on Sunday, the initiative was unveiled on Africa Day 2026, extending the Nigeria–East and Southern Africa Air Cargo Corridor to Kigali, Harare and Lusaka, while also providing Nigerian exporters with an additional carrier option on existing Nairobi and Johannesburg routes.
The ministry said the move is expected to improve the competitiveness of Nigerian products in African markets by lowering logistics costs and ensuring faster delivery timelines.
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The expanded corridor builds on the partnership launched in 2025 between Nigeria and Uganda Airlines, which introduced discounted cargo rates of up to 70 per cent below prevailing commercial prices for shipments to Uganda, Kenya and South Africa.
Speaking on the development, Jumoke Oduwole, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, said the initiative demonstrates Nigeria’s commitment to making AfCFTA work for businesses in practical terms.
“One year ago, we promised that the AfCFTA would work in practice for Nigerian businesses, not only on paper. We set out to solve a practical problem: Nigerian businesses have goods that African markets wanted, but the cost of cargo was too high.
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“With RwandAir, we are widening the air cargo corridor, so that more Nigerian exporters can reach more markets at a cost that allows them to compete. These results show what is possible when the government creates the enabling environment and businesses respond with ambition,” Oduwole said
According to the minister, the government identified high cargo costs as a major obstacle limiting Nigerian businesses from accessing African markets despite strong demand for locally made goods.
She disclosed that Nigeria’s non-oil exports to African countries rose from $150 million in 2024 to $207 million in 2025 following the implementation of the corridor and other trade facilitation measures.
“This corridor has kept that promise, and our whole-of-economy approach to AfCFTA implementation is yielding results. Nigeria’s non-oil exports to other African markets rose from US$150 million in 2024 to US$207 million in 2025,” Oduwole added.
The ministry said the RwandAir partnership would be formally flagged off in June 2026 and is expected to support exporters in sectors including agribusiness, fashion and textiles, cosmetics, light manufacturing and processed foods.
It added that the partnership aligns with the Federal Government’s broader industrialisation and export diversification agenda under the Renewed Hope programme of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The ministry also acknowledged the contributions of several institutions and stakeholders involved in the initiative, including the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council and the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture.
The United Nations Development Programme Regional Bureau for Africa also provided technical support for negotiations leading to the agreement.
According to the ministry, the partnership reflects one of the immediate outcomes of the bilateral engagement between President Tinubu and President Paul Kagame during the 13th Africa CEO Forum held in Kigali earlier this month.
Exporters and logistics operators seeking to use the corridor were advised to contact licensed freight forwarders or the Uganda Airlines and RwandAir cargo desks at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos for operational details and trade documentation guidance.
