AfCFTA: Nigeria flags-off East, Southern Africa air cargo corridor with RwandAir

Cuts export freight costs below $2/kg

By Yinka Kolawole

The Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment has formally flagged off the expanded Nigeria–East and Southern Africa Air Cargo Corridor in partnership with RwandAir, in a move to lower export logistics costs and strengthen Nigeria’s participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

A key highlight of the initiative is the sharp reduction in air cargo charges for exports to major African markets. Through the arrangement, cargo rates on the airline’s routes have been fixed at below $2 per kilogram across five destinations—Kigali (Rwanda), Lusaka (Zambia), Harare (Zimbabwe), Nairobi (Kenya) and Johannesburg (South Africa).
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony in Lagos at the weekend, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, said: “The new pricing marks a substantial improvement for exporters who previously paid between $3 and $10 per kilogram to ship goods to East and Southern African markets, costs that often eroded competitiveness and constrained market access.”

Oduwole described the initiative as a practical step towards translating AfCFTA into tangible business opportunities.

“Our goal is clear: to make it easier and cheaper for Nigerian businesses to trade across Africa. One year ago, we launched this corridor to solve a real problem for exporters—the high cost of moving goods into African markets.

“Today, with RwandAir, we are widening that corridor, opening more routes and giving our exporters more options to compete. With eight businesses receiving AfCFTA Certificates of Origin today, we are also showing that this is not just about policy—it is about real businesses, real exports and real market access. This is AfCFTA in action,” she stated.

Available to exporters holding an AfCFTA Certificate of Origin issued by the Nigeria Customs Service, the corridor is expected to provide faster, more affordable and predictable logistics services, enabling businesses to scale exports across the continent.

According to Oduwole, the initiative will particularly benefit businesses in agribusiness, fashion and textiles, cosmetics, processed foods, light manufacturing and other Made-in-Nigeria product segments, while supporting the government’s industrialisation and export diversification agenda.

Director of Cargo Services at RwandAir, Jean Bosco Gakwaya, said the partnership would enhance trade connectivity and improve access to African markets for Nigerian businesses.

“This partnership between RwandAir Cargo and Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment enables us to connect Nigerian manufacturers to key markets across East and Southern Africa using our network. This is a pivotal moment for intra-African trade and for how we move goods across the continent,” he said.

The expanded corridor builds on the initiative launched in 2025 with Uganda Airlines, which opened export routes to Entebbe, Nairobi and Johannesburg. With RwandAir’s entry, Nigerian exporters now have access to a broader network and increased cargo capacity across East and Southern Africa.

The development also underscores growing economic cooperation between Nigeria and Rwanda following engagements between President Bola Tinubu and President Paul Kagame during the 13th Africa CEO Forum in Kigali in May 2026.

The ministry urged exporters, logistics providers, business associations and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to take advantage of the corridor to expand the reach of Nigerian products across African markets, leveraging lower freight costs and improved connectivity to boost intra-African trade.

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