Keyamo, Ganduje Join African Aviation Leaders at ACI Assembly in Abuja

By Umar Idris Shuaibu 

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, and the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, on Tuesday joined African aviation leaders and other stakeholders at the 35th Airports Council International (ACI) Africa Annual General Assembly in Abuja.

The conference, holding at Abuja, is themed “Next-Gen Airports: Driving Performance and Resilience.”

The gathering brings together airport operators, government officials, airlines, aviation experts and other stakeholders to discuss airport development, connectivity, resilience, investment and the future of aviation on the continent.

Declaring the conference open, Keyamo identified poor connectivity between African countries as one of the major challenges facing the continent’s aviation industry.

He said it should not be easier to travel between an African city and a destination outside the continent than between two African cities.

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According to the minister, travellers between neighbouring African countries are sometimes forced to connect through Europe or the Middle East because of limited direct routes, resulting in longer journeys and higher fares.

“There is, significantly, one challenge we must confront collectively, and that is the challenge of connectivity. It should not be easier to travel between an African city and a destination outside the continent than to travel between two African cities,” Keyamo said.

He said stronger intra-African connectivity would require commercially viable airports, appropriate regulatory frameworks and closer cooperation among governments, airlines, airport operators and other stakeholders.

Keyamo also identified the Single African Air Transport Market, SAATM, as an important framework for improving connectivity by liberalising air services among participating African countries.

He said improved air connectivity would complement the African Continental Free Trade Area by making the movement of people and economic activities across the continent easier.

On passenger experience, the minister called for greater use of biometrics, artificial intelligence, automation and data systems to improve airport operations.

He, however, stressed that technology should ultimately make air travel safer, faster, easier and more dignified for passengers.

“Technology is only meaningful when it makes a person’s journey safer, easier, faster and more dignified. We must therefore build smart airports with human hearts,” he said.

Keyamo also called for collective action among African aviation stakeholders, saying no country or airport could address the continent’s challenges alone.

Also speaking, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of FAAN and Vice-President of ACI Africa, Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, said Africa’s aviation sector continued to face significant structural challenges.

Kuku said Africa accounts for only about one per cent of global air traffic despite having approximately 18 per cent of the world’s population.

She said Nigeria recorded about 18.8 million domestic and international passengers in 2025, describing the figure as an indication of the country’s significant aviation potential.

“In Nigeria alone, with a population exceeding 220 million, we record about 18.8 million passengers annually across 28 airports. The potential is vast, but the gap between where we are and where we could be remains substantial,” Kuku said.

She identified funding constraints, infrastructure gaps, high operating costs, fragmented connectivity and the need to keep charges affordable while providing world-class facilities as some of the challenges facing the sector.

Kuku outlined five priorities for the development of next-generation African airports: intelligent infrastructure, operational resilience, financial sustainability, human capital and partnerships.

She called for commercially viable partnerships involving private investors, airlines, technology providers, logistics companies and development finance institutions.

The FAAN boss also urged African governments to establish predictable and commercially disciplined frameworks for long-term investment in airport infrastructure.

Others at the ceremony included ACI Africa Secretary-General, Ali Tounsi; the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mahmud Adam Kambari; chairmen of the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Aviation; and other senior aviation stakeholders.