Janet Samuel
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament has convened a high-level joint committee meeting in Lomé, Togo, to address the persistent challenge of exorbitant airfares within the sub-region, a barrier identified as a major obstacle to free movement and regional integration.
Speaking at the opening of the Sixth Legislature Delocalised Meeting of the Joint Committee on Infrastructure, Energy and Mines, Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources, ECOWAS Parliament Speaker, Mémounatou Ibrahima, emphasized that “there can be no free movement without transport facilitation,” adding that air travel is an essential lever for economic growth, tourism, and cultural exchange in West Africa.
“The theme that brings us together today… reflects a major issue facing our citizens: the prohibitive costs of air travel between our countries,” she noted. “Indeed, air transport is vital to economic development and sub-regional integration. It promotes trade, strengthens social ties, and contributes to economic expansion.”
She attributed the high cost of tickets to a combination of excessive taxes, fragmented aviation markets, and poor infrastructure. “Our role is crucial,” she added, “to explore viable and sustainable solutions that will support ECOWAS Vision 2050’s third pillar: Economic Integration and Interconnectivity.”
ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalization, Mr. Sédiko Douka, confirmed that West Africa currently records the highest airfares globally, despite having a population of over 400 million, warned that intra-regional air transport in the sub-region is “less than 10%, compared to over 40% in North Africa,” creating a serious setback for development and connectivity.
Douka stated that, “In some cases, it is cheaper to travel outside the African continent than between two ECOWAS countries,” labeling the situation as “counterproductive to our regional aspirations.” He disclosed that in response, the ECOWAS Commission, backed by Heads of State, has initiated policy reforms, including the adoption of a common regional air transport tax policy in December 2024.
“The task now lies in the effective implementation of these community texts by Member States,” Douka said, noting that a 15-month preparation window has been granted before the reforms take effect in January 2026. urging lawmakers to raise awareness and ensure that Member States align with ECOWAS’s long-term transport strategy.
Echoing these concerns, Mr. Sekou Momadu, Co-Chair of the ECOWAS Parliament Joint Committee, said that despite ECOWAS’s achievements, “the prohibitive cost of airfare is a real obstacle to integration” and hinders local entrepreneurship, regional tourism, and investment flow.
“At the 65th Summit in Abuja, our leaders recognized that airfares in ECOWAS remain among the highest in Africa,” Momadu noted. “In some cases, it’s cheaper to travel to Europe than between ECOWAS member states. This contradicts the goal of a connected, borderless region.”
He stressed that the Lomé meeting seeks to identify “regulatory reforms, infrastructure development models, tax adjustments, and policy solutions” that can be recommended to national governments for adoption. “We must act with urgency to implement strategies that make travel affordable and integration achievable for all West Africans.”
The theme for the meeting is: “Air Transport as a Means of Integration for West African Peoples: A Strategy for Reducing Airline Ticket Costs,”
