LAGOS – Mr. Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development has disclosed Federal Government’s plan to develop a real hub for African continent.
Keyamo stated that with the country’s population and geographical position, Nigeria was well-placed to be the real hub of Africa, assuring that the government would tap into these opportunities.
A statement by Mr. Tunde Moshood, Special Adviser, Media and Communications to Keyamo, said that the minister gave the assurance during his keynote speech at the on-going International Route Development Conference in Moscow, Russia with the theme: ‘Network Cargo 2024.’
Keyamo, according to the statement, further highlighted Nigeria’s untapped aviation potential, citing the significant volume of international traffic originating from the country.
He, however, regretted that much of this traffic was currently being serviced by foreign airlines like Ethiopian, Egypt, Air Maroc and other carriers from various countries, which he said feed on Nigeria’s traffic.
He said: “Geographically, we are in the best position to be the real hub of Africa. If you look at the map, we are equidistant to South America across the Atlantic, to Europe, and to Asia. We are about six to seven hours to Doha, Dubai and Brazil. With our population, we have the dream to develop a real hub for Africa.
“If you look at it, most of the flights originating from Nigeria are not indigenous. Airlines from Ethiopia, Egypt, Morocco, and other countries feed on our traffic. They know that Nigerians travel all over the world.”
The conference, focused on enhancing global partnerships through the highest standards of freight forwarding services, attracted transport ministers and industry leaders from across the world, all seeking to establish efficient and competitive cargo routes.
To address this imbalance, Keyamo expressed the Nigerian government’s commitment to increasing the capacity of local airlines.
He noted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was focused on strengthening Nigeria’s domestic aviation sector, ensuring that local operators benefitted from the nation’s air traffic.
“Instead of giving up our traffic and airspace to other people, we are focused on ramping up the capacity of our local airlines. That is a major priority of President Tinubu’s administration,” he said.
In line with the theme of the conference, the minister unveiled Nigeria’s plans to expand its international routes, with a particular focus on establishing direct connections to South America, specifically Brazil.
He lamented that at the moment, for Nigerians to fly to Brazil, they first travel East to Addis Ababa or go to Angola before heading West.
He declared that Nigeria was working to open up direct routes from Nigeria to South America in a bid to address the gap in aviation connectivity.
Besides, Keyamo talked about the Nigeria’s recent adoption of the Cape Town Convention’s practice directions, which regulate dry leasing—a common global practice in the aviation industry.
He emphasised that by domestically implementing these regulations, Nigeria had provided assurances to the leasing world that aircraft brought into the country would be protected under the Nigerian law.
“The practice direction we signed last week ensures that Nigerian courts protect lessors and financiers, giving them the confidence that their aircraft are safe in Nigeria.
“This move will foster a symbiotic relationship, as we have the traffic and the need for new routes,” he added.
Keyamo further underscored Nigeria’s commitment to achieving global standards in aviation by enhancing local airline capacity, securing international partnerships and expanding direct routes to underserved destinations.
