Chinedu Eze
Former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, has called for stronger collaboration, investment, and connectivity to unlock the economic potential of aviation and tourism across West and Central Africa.
Similar calls were also made by Barbados’ High Commissioner to Nigeria and Ghana, Juliette Bynoe-Sunderland.
They made the call at the AeroWest Summit 2026 in Lagos, with the theme: ‘Financing Connectivity: Unlocking Aviation & Tourism Growth in West and Central Africa,’ where they stressed the need to move beyond discussions and translate the region’s enormous tourism, cultural, and aviation potential into jobs, investment, and sustainable economic growth.
Declaring the summit open, Obasanjo said Africa already possessed the attractions, culture, and heritage required to become a major global tourism destination, but lacked sufficient knowledge and commitment to preserve and promote what it has.
“We do not lack anything. For tourism, we have it all. The problem is we don’t even know what we have,” Obasanjo said
The former president cited Adire production in Abeokuta, Ogun State, recalling an instance where foreign tourists who wanted to see how the traditional textile was produced were reportedly turned away from a family compound.
He questioned whether such visitors would return or recommend the experience to others, stressing that communities must understand their role in developing tourism.
According to him, tourism destinations require not only attractions but also trained people to receive, welcome, and interact positively with visitors.
Obasanjo said aviation and tourism must be treated as interconnected sectors, arguing that aviation depends on passenger and cargo traffic, while passenger demand is ultimately linked to economic prosperity.