AeroWest 2026: Regional Leaders Push Single Airspace, Visa Reforms to Unlock African Tourism

By Cynthia Okere, Lagos

Regional leaders, diplomats and aviation industry stakeholders have called for stronger implementation of a single African air transport market, easier visa regimes and greater cooperation among governments as critical steps towards improving connectivity and unlocking tourism opportunities across West and Central Africa.

The stakeholders spoke at the ongoing AeroWest Africa Annual Summit 2026 in Lagos, where discussions have focused on the relationship between aviation, tourism, infrastructure and economic integration across the region.

The three-day summit, holding from September 2 to 4, brings together government officials, aviation regulators, airlines, tourism authorities, investors and other industry players to examine some of the barriers limiting air travel and tourism development in West and Central Africa.

A major concern raised at the summit was the limited number of direct air connections between cities in the region despite their geographical proximity and economic potential.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Jet Afrique Aviation Services Limited, Theodore Obi Chikelu, said more than 400 potential city pairs exist across the region, but fewer than 30 per cent are currently connected by direct flights.

Chikelu also identified the high cost of doing business as a major constraint, saying jet fuel, taxes and aircraft leasing costs in the region remain about 25 to 30 per cent above global averages.

He called for stronger implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), harmonisation of aviation taxes and the introduction of a more unified regional visa regime.

According to him, the region must move beyond repeatedly identifying its aviation problems to implementing projects capable of improving connectivity.

“We need the non-negotiable implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market, harmonised taxes, and a single regional visa,” he said.

Discussions at the summit also highlighted projections that substantially improved regional connectivity could generate billions of dollars in additional economic activity and support millions of jobs across West and Central Africa by 2030.

Obasanjo Links Connectivity to Governance, Prosperity

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who addressed the gathering, broadened the discussion beyond airlines and airports, arguing that sustainable aviation development depends on the economic wellbeing of the people who are expected to travel.

“Connectivity is development,” Obasanjo said.

He noted that aviation requires passengers to thrive, while sustained passenger demand depends on prosperity and an enabling governance environment.

The former President also drew attention to Africa’s extensive tourism resources, saying the continent’s challenge is not necessarily a shortage of attractions but its ability to preserve, develop and effectively market them.

He stressed the importance of preparing host communities to receive visitors and ensuring that tourism development delivers benefits beyond airports and major cities.

Lagos Highlights Rail, Water and Airport Infrastructure

Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin, said aviation infrastructure must form part of a broader transport and tourism ecosystem if Lagos and other African cities are to maximise the economic benefits of international and regional connectivity.

“No airport can build a tourism economy alone, and no airline can create connectivity in isolation,” she said.

Salu-Hundeyin highlighted Lagos State’s investments in multimodal transportation under the THEMES+ development agenda, including rail infrastructure, waterways and plans for the Lekki-Epe International Airport.

She said the state’s transport strategy is aimed at improving movement within Lagos while positioning the state to accommodate increasing commercial and tourism activity.

“While the airport connects us to the world, tourism gives visitors a reason to stay,” she said.

The summit heard that Lagos is expanding its Blue and Red rail lines while developing water transportation routes as part of efforts to provide alternatives to road travel.

Barbados Eyes Stronger Nigeria-Caribbean Air Links

The push for greater connectivity also extended beyond Africa, with Barbados highlighting opportunities for stronger aviation and commercial links between West Africa and the Caribbean.

Barbados High Commissioner to Ghana and Nigeria, Juliette Bynoe-Sutherland, said discussions around a Caribbean-West Africa corridor were moving from aspiration towards practical engagement.

She stressed that sustainable air connectivity depends not only on the availability of aircraft and routes but also on confidence in regulatory systems, payment infrastructure and passenger-processing arrangements.

“The question is no longer whether a Caribbean-West Africa corridor is possible — it is already forming,” she said.

According to her, connectivity ultimately requires trust among participating countries and institutions, particularly in regulatory environments, payment systems and passenger screening.

She called for the historical and cultural relationship between Africa and the Caribbean to be converted into stronger commercial, tourism and investment links.

Discussions at the summit also touched on efforts towards an updated Bilateral Air Services Agreement between Nigeria and Barbados as both countries explore the possibility of stronger direct air links.

From Dialogue to Implementation

A recurring message at AeroWest 2026 has been the need to move regional aviation discussions from policy declarations to measurable implementation.

Stakeholders identified fragmented regulations, high operating costs, restrictive visa processes, insufficient direct routes and inadequate supporting infrastructure as some of the obstacles preventing West and Central Africa from fully exploiting their aviation and tourism potential.

The summit’s wider agenda reflects that challenge. AeroWest organisers say West and Central Africa together account for roughly one-third of Africa’s population but less than 15 per cent of the continent’s air traffic, despite projections that passenger numbers in the two regions could exceed 110 million by 2040.

Participants consequently called for stronger coordination among governments, regulators, airlines, tourism authorities and investors.

Among the priorities emerging from the discussions are greater harmonisation of regional aviation regulations, implementation of SAATM, easier visa arrangements for intra-African travellers and coordinated destination marketing capable of presenting West and Central Africa as connected tourism corridors rather than isolated national markets.

For stakeholders at the summit, improving connectivity is increasingly being viewed not simply as an aviation objective but as an economic-development strategy capable of stimulating tourism, trade, investment and movement of people across the region.