The Minister also mentioned that one of Nigeria’s fast-rising domestic carriers, Xejet, which currently operates Sierra Leone’s national carrier, Air Sierra Leone, could be a potential partner in this venture.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has raised concerns over Nigeria Namibia visa challenges. He cited his recent experience struggling to obtain a Namibian visa despite holding a diplomatic passport.
Keyamo addressed the issue when he received Namibia’s Ambassador to Nigeria, H.E. Humphrey D. Geiseb, in Abuja. He urged the envoy to work towards resolving these challenges to ease travel and enhance trade and investment between both countries.
In a statement made available by Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Tunde Moshood, the Minister emphasized the importance of strengthening the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and Namibia. He noted that improved connectivity would foster economic growth and exploring new opportunities will benefit both nations’ aviation sectors and promote greater economic cooperation.
Ambassador Geiseb highlighted the historical importance of Air Namibia’s operations between the two countries, noting that the national carrier previously connected Lagos to Accra and played a key role in facilitating travel between Namibia and Nigeria. Unfortunately, Air Namibia faced financial difficulties and was eventually forced to cease operations following a government bailout. Geiseb emphasized that currently, it remains challenging to directly connect Windhoek, Namibia’s capital, with Nigeria, with travelers having to transit through Addis Ababa. While there are occasional flights via TAG Airlines, they are not frequent enough to meet the demand for seamless travel between the two nations.
The Ambassador expressed his country’s desire to partner with Nigerian airlines to restore direct connectivity, citing ongoing discussions with Air Peace. However, he encouraged Minister Keyamo to engage with domestic airlines to explore potential collaboration opportunities.
Responding, Keyamo expressed his support and shared a personal experience regarding the challenges of establishing direct flights in the region. He referenced the successful Algeria/Lagos/Cameroon flight route, which was initiated after the Algerian Ambassador proposed a direct connection, despite the close proximity between Nigeria and Cameroon. The Minister also mentioned that one of Nigeria’s fast-rising domestic carriers, Xejet, which currently operates Sierra Leone’s national carrier, Air Sierra Leone, could be a potential partner in this venture.
Ambassador Geiseb assured the Minister that he would engage his counterpart, Namibia’s Minister of Aviation, to arrange a possible visit to further strengthen the aviation cooperation between both countries.
