Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has challenged Africa to turn its aviation potential into sustainable airport performance, stronger connectivity and wider economic value.
Keyamo spoke on Tuesday in Abuja while declaring open the 35th ACI Africa Annual General Assembly, 76th Board and Committee Meetings, Regional Conference and Exhibition. The gathering runs from September 19 to 25 under the theme, “Next-Gen Airports: Driving Performance and Resilience.”
The minister said Africa already possesses the market, people, geography, tourism assets and entrepreneurial energy required to drive aviation growth. However, he said infrastructure, policies, connectivity and institutional capacity must advance alongside demand.
“Africa has the market, the people, the geography, the tourism assets and the entrepreneurial energy,” Keyamo said. “What we must do is build the infrastructure, policies, connectivity and institutional capacity to convert this enormous potential into sustainable value.”
Aviation Potential Must Drive Airport Transformation
Keyamo said passenger growth alone would not guarantee stronger African aviation systems. Instead, airports must become safer, more efficient, financially sustainable, technologically enabled, passenger-friendly and resilient.
He said the next-generation airport could not simply mean a larger terminal building. It must be capable of adapting to disruption while using technology, infrastructure and commercial innovation to unlock Africa’s aviation potential and improve performance.
The minister pointed to pandemics, geopolitical tensions, economic shocks, climate events, cyber threats and infrastructure disruptions as risks facing modern airports. Therefore, he said resilience must be built into airport systems, business models and institutions.
“Resilience therefore cannot be an afterthought. It must be designed into our airports, our systems, our business models and our institutions,” Keyamo said.
The minister’s argument places airport transformation at the centre of Africa’s aviation potential. Growing passenger demand will require airports that can manage increased traffic while remaining financially and operationally sustainable.
Connectivity Key to Unlocking Africa’s Aviation Potential
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, identified stronger intra-African connectivity as critical to unlocking the continent’s vast aviation potential, calling for collective action by governments, airlines, airports and regulators.
“It should not be easier to travel between an African city and a destination outside the continent than to travel between two African cities,” he said.
He called for stronger intra-African connectivity, commercially viable airports and appropriate regulatory frameworks. He also urged stakeholders to deepen cooperation around the Single African Air Transport Market.
According to Keyamo, the African Continental Free Trade Area is creating a larger economic space, but aviation must help make that integration practical.
“When African airports connect Africa more effectively, Africa becomes smaller, and opportunity becomes larger,” he said.
The minister said stronger air links would help passengers, businesses, tourism operators and traders take greater advantage of Africa’s expanding economic opportunities.
He also linked connectivity to the continent’s broader development ambitions. Efficient air networks, he said, can strengthen trade, tourism and regional economic integration while creating new opportunities for aviation businesses.
Keyamo Wants Airports Built as Economic Ecosystems
Keyamo also called for a fundamental change in how African countries view airports.
“An airport is not simply a place where aircraft land and take off. It is an economic ecosystem,” he said.
He identified employment, tourism, logistics, investment and trade among the areas that can benefit from stronger airport development. Airports, he added, connect businesses to markets and can therefore influence economic activity well beyond the aviation sector.
For Nigeria, Keyamo said the Federal Government is encouraging greater private-sector participation in airport infrastructure and services. He, however, stressed that safety, security, service and public interest must remain central to such development.
Nigeria is also supporting Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul capacity, aircraft leasing, cargo infrastructure and other components of the aviation value chain.
“Our ambition is straightforward: Nigeria should not merely consume aviation services. We must increasingly produce aviation value. And we believe Africa should do the same,” Keyamo said.
That approach could allow African countries to retain more of the economic benefits generated by aviation. It also reflects the need to develop local capacity as demand for air transport and related services expands.
From Airport Infrastructure to Aviation Value
Keyamo said airports are increasingly becoming platforms for commerce, logistics, tourism, technology and investment, creating new opportunities to unlock the continent’s aviation potential. Consequently, successful airports must understand passengers, manage resources intelligently and develop diversified revenue streams.
He also called for stronger relationships between airports, airlines, communities and governments to help realise Africa’s aviation potential. Such cooperation, he said, would help airports respond more effectively to changing market conditions.
