ECOWAS Tasks Member States to Slash Air Travel Taxes, Backs Regional Aviation Oversight Committee By Raymond Enoch
The ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government has urged Member States to accelerate the implementation of regional reforms aimed at reducing the cost of air travel across West Africa, while commending Côte d’Ivoire as the only Member State to have fully removed applicable taxes in line with the Community’s decision on air transport taxation.
The landmark resolution was adopted during the 69th Ordinary Summit of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government held in Freetown, Sierra Leone, as regional leaders renewed their commitment to making air transport more affordable, accessible and competitive for citizens across the Community.
Reaffirming its resolve to lower the cost of air transport in West Africa, the Authority stressed that affordable air connectivity remains essential for promoting regional integration, trade, tourism, investment and the free movement of persons under the ECOWAS Protocol.
The Authority applauded Côte d’Ivoire for becoming the only Member State to have removed the applicable taxes in compliance with the ECOWAS Decision on taxes on air transport. It directed all other Member States to expedite their national implementation processes by undertaking cross-sectoral consultations, reviewing relevant tax laws, engaging stakeholders and airport service providers, and implementing measures to reduce passenger service and security charges.
In another significant decision, the Authority commended the ECOWAS Commission for the successful establishment of the Regional Air Transport Economic Oversight Committee, describing it as a major institutional milestone in the implementation of the Community’s aviation reforms.
The newly established committee is expected to undertake high-level engagements with Member States, monitor compliance and accelerate the uniform implementation of ECOWAS decisions designed to remove barriers to affordable air transport across the region.
The Authority also underscored the importance of sustained investment in aviation infrastructure to support the reforms. It called on the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), the African Development Bank (AfDB), Afreximbank, and other development partners to collaborate with the ECOWAS Commission in mobilising multilateral funding to improve air transport infrastructure and aviation services across Member States.
According to the Authority, such financial support will help countries implementing the ECOWAS Decision on affordable air transport to modernise airport infrastructure, strengthen aviation services and improve regional connectivity, thereby making air travel more accessible to Community citizens.
The decisions represent another major step towards the realisation of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), a flagship initiative of the African Union aimed at liberalising Africa’s air transport market and promoting seamless connectivity across the continent.
The resolutions also reinforce the outcomes of the inaugural meeting of the ECOWAS Air Transport Economic Oversight Committee, held in Lomé, Togo, from 2–4 July 2026, where aviation regulators, policymakers and industry stakeholders agreed on practical measures to harmonise aviation policies, strengthen economic oversight and fast-track the implementation of regional air transport reforms.
With these decisions, ECOWAS has sent a strong signal that affordable air transport remains central to its regional integration agenda, while placing renewed responsibility on Member States to implement agreed reforms that will enhance mobility, stimulate economic growth and unlock new opportunities for trade and investment across West Africa.
