Air travel within West Africa remains the most expensive globally, posing a major challenge to regional integration, according to the Economic Community of West African States.
This was disclosed by the ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation, Sédiko Douka, during the opening of the Sixth Legislature ECOWAS Parliament Delocalised Meeting of the Joint Committee on Infrastructure, Energy and Mines, Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources held in Lome, Togo, on Tuesday.
Douka highlighted that airfares between countries in the subregion are significantly higher than fares for comparable distances in other parts of Africa, making it cheaper in many cases to fly to destinations outside West Africa than between neighbouring ECOWAS states.
“The air tariff in West Africa remains excessively high compared to other countries in the world.
“In this case, it is less expensive to make the flight to another African country than to travel between two countries in ECOWAS.
“This situation is counterproductive for the future of the West African region and the collective airspace,” he said.
He noted that air transport usage within West Africa is still below 10 percent, the lowest on the continent.
This contrasts with growth rates in other regions, including 40.4 percent in North Africa, 21.4 percent in Southern Africa, and 20.5 percent in East Africa, based on 2024 studies conducted by international organisations.
Douka stressed that these figures highlight West Africa’s lag in developing a competitive air travel market and called for urgent harmonisation of aviation policies across ECOWAS Member States.
He cited Article 32 of the Revised ECOWAS Treaty, which mandates the Commission to coordinate air transport strategies to boost connectivity and reduce costs.
The commissioner explained, “Recent studies conducted by renowned organisations in 2024 have shown low growth in air transport in West Africa (less than 10 percent). This, at a time when other regions, for example, record 40.4 percent for North Africa, 21.4 percent for Southern Africa, and 20.5 percent for East Africa.
“Other comparisons made in terms of domestic flights, intra-African travel, major airlines, and airport size have also shown that West Africa lags far behind these same regions mentioned above.
“In accordance with Article 32 of the Revised ECOWAS Treaty, the statutory bodies have mandated the Commission to coordinate and harmonise the air transport policies, programs, and projects of Member States. Likewise, to contribute all initiatives, strategies, and action plans aimed at improving air transport within its territory.”
He also urged the joint committee to consider implementing common rules for passenger rights, including compensation for denied boarding, cancellations, or significant delays within the ECOWAS region.