The Federal Government has expanded Nigeria’s air cargo export corridor across East and Southern Africa in a move aimed at reducing logistics costs and boosting regional trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, announced the development on Tuesday in a video shared on X, describing the initiative as a strategic intervention designed to tackle one of the biggest barriers to intra-African trade.
“This corridor is a response to a real problem,” the minister stated.
According to Oduwole, although many Nigerian businesses are prepared to penetrate African markets, the high cost of transporting goods across the continent has remained a major obstacle.
“Nigerian businesses were ready to sell to Africa, but the cost of moving their goods was prohibitive,” she said.
She explained that cargo freight charges previously ranged between $3 and $10 per kilogram, a pricing structure she described as unsustainable for competitive trade within Africa.
“By the time those products arrived at their destination, they could no longer compete on price,” the minister added.
Oduwole noted that the burden of expensive logistics had also pushed some exporters toward informal and high-risk channels to move goods across borders.
“To avoid these high costs, many Nigerian businesses sometimes relied on informal and high-risk channels to move their goods,” she said.
Under the newly expanded export corridor, revised freight rates have now been introduced for key African destinations from Lagos.
Exports from Lagos to Kigali will attract a minimum charge of $100, with rates fixed at $1.4 per kilogram for shipments below 1,000kg and $1.2/kg for shipments above 1,000kg.
Shipments from Lagos to Johannesburg will carry a $120 minimum charge, with rates of $1.9/kg below 1,000kg and $1.7/kg above the threshold.
The Lagos-to-Harare route has been pegged at a $110 minimum charge, with exporters paying $1.8/kg for cargo below 1,000kg and $1.5/kg for shipments exceeding 1,000kg.
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Similarly, exports from Lagos to Lusaka will now attract a minimum charge of $110, with freight rates fixed at $1.8/kg below 1,000kg and $1.6/kg above 1,000kg.
The minister recalled that the trade corridor was initially launched in 2025 through a partnership with Uganda Airlines, opening export routes to Entebbe, Nairobi, and Johannesburg as part of efforts to deepen regional trade integration under the AfCFTA framework.
According to her, the initiative has already recorded significant progress, with freight charges dropping by as much as 75 percent on some routes.
“One year on, the results speak for themselves,” Oduwole said.
She disclosed that the first phase of implementation featured five women-led enterprises that transported the first consignment to Kenya on May 25, 2025.
“They showed the way, and many others have followed,” the minister added.
Oduwole further revealed that the corridor has now been expanded through a partnership with RwandAir, creating additional export routes to Kigali, Lusaka, Harare, and Johannesburg.
She said the rebated cargo pricing introduced under the partnership has reduced freight costs to below $2 per kilogram on select routes, thereby improving market access for Nigerian exporters.
“With Uganda Airlines and RwandAir operating on this corridor, Nigerian exporters now have more affordable options to reach more destination markets quickly,” she stated.
The minister explained that the expansion aligns with the Federal Government’s broader strategy to strengthen regional trade integration, diversify the economy through non-oil exports, and maximise opportunities provided under the African Continental Free Trade Area framework.