Airfares within the West African sub-region remain the most expensive in the world, according to Mr Sédiko Douka, ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation. He also highlighted that air travel within West Africa accounts for less than 10% of the region’s transport activity—making it the lowest globally.
- Airfares within West Africa are the most expensive globally, hindering regional integration efforts.
- Air travel in West Africa accounts for less than 10% of the region’s transport activity, the lowest worldwide.
- West Africa significantly lags behind other African regions in air transport growth and infrastructure development.
Speaking in Lomé on Tuesday at the opening of the ECOWAS Parliament’s Sixth Legislature Delocalised Joint Committee Meeting on Infrastructure, Energy and Mines, Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources, Mr Douka underscored that the high cost of air transport continues to hamper regional integration efforts.
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ECOWAS moves to harmonise policies
Mr Douka explained that the ECOWAS leadership is deeply concerned about the situation and has tasked the Commission with coordinating and harmonising air transport policies, programmes, and projects among Member States.
“Air tariffs in West Africa remain excessively high compared to other parts of the world,” he stated. “It is often cheaper to fly to a non-ECOWAS African country than to travel between two ECOWAS countries. This situation undermines the region’s future and collective airspace.”
West Africa lags behind other regions
Referencing recent 2024 studies by respected international bodies, Mr Douka noted that air transport growth in West Africa remains below 10%. In contrast, North Africa stands at 40.4%, Southern Africa at 21.4%, and East Africa at 20.5%. The region also trails behind in terms of domestic flights, intra-African travel, major airline presence, and airport infrastructure.
“This significant underperformance calls for urgent policy action,” he added.
Past efforts and ongoing strategy
Mr Douka recalled that under Article 32 of the Revised ECOWAS Treaty, the Commission has been mandated to coordinate and advance initiatives to improve air transport within the sub-region.
In 2017, ECOWAS and its Member States launched a study on a common policy for air transport-related fees and charges, with a final report presented in Accra in 2018. This policy was later revised during expert and ministerial validation workshops in May 2021.
Following this, a dedicated task force was formed to:
- Assess the current status of fees and taxes
- Recommend reductions or eliminations in line with international aviation standards
Commitments made by ECOWAS leadership
The ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, during their 65th Ordinary Session on 7 July 2024 in Abuja, Nigeria, acknowledged the need to make air transport more affordable. In response, a Ministerial Meeting on Air Transport was held on 8 November 2024 in Lomé.
At that meeting, Ministers adopted a new legal instrument—Additional Act A/SA.2/12/24 6—concerning a common policy on fees and charges, which was submitted to the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government and endorsed on 15 December 2024.
“Our priority is to adhere to ICAO’s core principles on charges, which are non-discrimination, transparency, appropriate service pricing, and user consultation,” said Mr Douka.
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Concrete steps for cheaper air travel
Among the key recommendations made to Member States were:
- Eliminating all non-compliant taxes in line with ICAO guidelines
- Reducing passenger service and security charges by 25%
- Lowering aviation fuel costs
“All these actions are geared towards improving the efficiency of air travel across our region, which is home to over 400 million people,” Mr Douka concluded.
