The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, and the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, on Friday flagged off RwandaAir’s first dedicated cargo flight on the Nigeria–East/Southern Africa route.
This is contained in a press statement forwarded to journalists in Abuja by Tunde Moshood, Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister of Aviation.
The launch marks a major step in Nigeria’s push to deepen intra-African trade and economic integration under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Speaking at the ceremony, Keyamo said aviation must connect African markets for trade to grow.
“We’re here with some of our exporters; this is where aviation interlines with trade and investment. This is in pursuit of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to promote trade and investment across Africa.
“I am excited to be here with my sister, the Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, to supervise and launch this effort in support of the principles and letter of the African Continental Free Trade Area. You cannot transform African trade without connecting Africa first,” he stated.
Keyamo said the cargo route demonstrates the Federal Government’s commitment to positioning aviation as an enabler of economic growth, trade facilitation, and regional integration.
He added that the initiative aligns with the Single African Air Transport Market, which seeks to liberalise air transport services across the continent and remove barriers to connectivity and commerce.
The minister recently pushed for SAATM implementation at the African Air Transport Expo in Lomé, Togo, where he called for stronger commitment to open skies policies and seamless market access.
The Nigeria–East/Southern Africa cargo route is expected to provide faster and more reliable logistics for exporters in agriculture, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and non-oil exports, boosting trade volumes across Africa.
The flag-off was attended by government officials, exporters, aviation stakeholders, trade representatives, and RwandaAir executives.
