Okonjo-Iweala: Nigeria’s air connectivity index declined by 21%, lauds sector’s reforms
- 20% more expensive to operate within Africa than in Europe, Asia
The Director-General of World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has noted that while other African hubs have surged, Nigeria’s connectivity has notably stagnated or regressed in key metrics over the last decade.
Referencing data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), long-term tracking shows a stark divide in how Nigeria connects to the world.
That specific observation hits at the core of the challenges in the country’s aviation industry.
In her keynote at the Nigeria Aircraft Acquisition and Investment Summit (NAAIS) 2026, Okonjo-Iweala used that data to issue a wake-up call to stakeholders.
Nigeria’s connectivity index with regions outside Africa, she further stated, has decreased by approximately 21%.
This, according to her, is driven by the exit of some international carriers, reduced frequencies from others due to trapped funds issues in previous years, and the struggle of local carriers to sustain long-haul routes.
While passenger demand has grown, the soft and hard infrastructure (efficient ground handling, modern terminals, and seamless transit processes), she reiterated, hasn’t kept pace with global standards, adding that until very recently, the reluctance of international lessors to provide aircraft to Nigerian dry-lease operators severely limited the ability of local airlines to expand their networks.
Despite the grim 2014–2026 trend, she was optimistic about the future. She argued that Nigeria is perfectly positioned for re-globalisation—the shift where global supply chains move toward the global south.
She challenged the summit’s audience, including the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo and the FAAN leadership, to move from stabilisation to job creation.
Her argument was simple: you cannot have a manufacturing or export boom if your “Air Connectivity Index” is falling, as aviation is the physical internet of global trade
She noted that high-quality infrastructure is the only way to compete with the global aviation sector, adding that the Nigerian aviation sector has grown in recent decades, with more private airlines and new airports and related infrastructure.
She heaped praises on the remarkable job done by Keyamo, the Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Chris Najomo, Managing Director of FAAN, Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Ahmed Umar Farouk, to reposition the nation’s aviation industry.
She expressed excitement that the country’s aviation safety record has also improved over the last 20 years, but cautioned that there is still a long way to go.
She advised that existing airlines need to upgrade their fleets and scale up their operations to improve their competitiveness.
Making reference to data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Okonjo-Iweala further disclosed that the sector currently supports over 260,700 jobs and contributes less than $3 billion to Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
She said, “International tourists arriving by air contributed an estimated $760 million to the Nigerian economy in 2023. Nigerian airports handled 195,700 tonnes of air freight in 2023. A country of Nigeria’s size should be earning much more from the sector than this and creating more jobs.”
“For a country seeking to move up the value chain, reliable and affordable air freight infrastructure is not a choice; it’s a prerequisite. Nigeria’s International Air Connectivity Index has declined since 2014, and it is currently ranked the 91st-largest international passenger market worldwide. The sector could contribute more to the economy if the structural constraints were removed.”
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