BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, took center stage at the International Route Development Conference, themed “Network Cargo 2024,” in Moscow, Russia, where he flaunted Nigeria as a major aviation hub in Africa and wooed international investors to leverage the country’s strategic position to deepen global competitiveness.
This was contained in a statement signed by Tunde Moshood, keyamo’s Special Assistant, Media.
The statement noted that Keyamo’s keynote address before the global aviation community resonated with the event which focused on forging strong global partnerships through top-tier freight forwarding services.
The event attracted transport ministers and aviation leaders from around the globe.
Keyamo emphasised Nigeria’s natural geographical advantage in becoming the central hub for air transportation in Africa and the attendant influence on Africa’s logistics and trade network.
He spotlighted Nigeria’s strategic efforts to enhance its cargo routes and infrastructure, driving competitiveness and efficiency in global freight services.
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 6 to 7 hours to Doha, Dubai, and Brazil. With our population, we have the dream to develop a real hub for Africa.”
Keyamo further revealed Nigeria’s untapped aviation potential, citing the significant volume of international traffic originating from the country.
He acknowledged that much of the traffic is currently serviced by foreign airlines.
“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,” he added.
To address the imbalance, the Minister expressed the Nigerian government’s commitment to increasing the capacity of local airlines.
He harped on President Bola Tinubu’s determination to fortify Nigeria’s domestic aviation industry, assuring of the administration’s dedication to ensuring that local operators fully leverage on the nation’s growing air traffic opportunities.
“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 alignment with the theme of the Network Cargo 2024 conference, the Minister unveiled Nigeria’s ambitious plans to expand its international routes, with a special focus on establishing direct connections to South America, particularly Brazil.
“It is quite ironic that for a Nigerian to travel to Brazil, one must first head east to Addis Ababa or go through Angola before heading west. We are actively working to bridge this gap in our aviation connectivity by opening direct routes between Nigeria and South America,” Keyamo noted.
He further highlighted Nigeria’s recent adoption of the Cape Town Convention’s practice directions, which regulate dry leasing; a globally recognised practice in aviation.
By implementing the regulations domestically, he said Nigeria provides a solid framework of legal protection for leased aircraft.
“The practice direction we signed last week ensures that Nigerian courts safeguard the interests of lessors and financiers, instilling confidence that their aircraft will be secure under Nigerian law. This critical move paves the way for a mutually beneficial relationship, as Nigeria possesses both the traffic and the demand for new routes,” Keyamo explained.
Reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to meeting global aviation standards, Keyamo emphasised the country’s efforts to enhance the capacity of local airlines, forge international partnerships, and expand direct routes to underserved regions, all while strengthening its presence on the global aviation stage.
