Aviation :Airfares Hikes Threaten ECOWAS Integration, ECOPARL Speaker Warns. By Raymond Enoch
The Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Hadja Mémounatou Ibrahima, has raised an alarm over the soaring cost of air travel within West Africa, warning that it poses a significant barrier to regional integration and mobility. Ibrahima made the remarks during the opening session of the 6th Legislature Delocalised Meeting of the ECOWAS Parliament’s Joint Committee, which focused on reducing airline ticket prices to facilitate better intra-African connectivity.
Themed “Air Transport as a Means of Integration for West African Peoples: A Strategy for Reducing Airline Ticket Costs,” the meeting brought together policymakers and aviation experts to discuss the region’s air transport challenges. The Speaker stressed the importance of affordable air travel in enhancing economic, social, and cultural ties across West Africa.
Ibrahima pointed out that the current high airfares undermine efforts to foster a unified West African community by limiting the movement of people, stifling tourism, and hindering trade and regional collaboration. She noted that exorbitant airfares, exacerbated by numerous airport taxes and fees such as landing charges, ticket taxes, and security levies, are further inflating ticket prices.
She further highlighted the structural issues in the aviation sector, including fragmented national markets, lack of cooperation among regional airlines, and outdated infrastructure. The Speaker also criticized the poor enforcement of the Yamoussoukro Decision, a policy meant to liberalize air transport across Africa.
In a call for immediate action, Ibrahima urged lawmakers to advocate for comprehensive policy reforms to lower airfares, improve the aviation sector, and strengthen the region’s integration efforts. She emphasized that affordable air travel is essential to achieving ECOWAS’ Vision 2050, the Sustainable Development Goals, and Africa’s broader Agenda 2063.
As West Africa continues to grapple with these aviation challenges, the ECOWAS Parliament is calling for a collective effort to make air travel more accessible, helping to unlock the full potential of regional cooperation.
