Dike Onwuamaeze
The Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI), in partnership with RwandAir, yesterday formally flagged off the expanded Nigeria–East and Southern Africa Air Cargo Corridor, which is a major step in Nigeria’s practical implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
A statement issued by the FMITI stated that through this partnership, cargo rates on the routes operated by RwandAir are set at under $2 per kilogram across five destinations, in order to reduce the cost of moving Nigerian goods into key African markets for Nigerian exporters holding an AfCFTA Certificate of Origin issued by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
These destinations are export routes from Nigeria to Kigali, Rwanda; Lusaka, Zambia, and Harare, Zimbabwe. Others are Nairobi, Kenya, and Johannesburg, South Africa routes.
The ministry said that before the establishment of the corridor, many Nigerian exporters faced cargo costs ranging from $3 to as high as $10 per kilogram for goods shipped to East and Southern Africa, which limited their competitiveness and constraining access to regional markets.
“The expanded corridor directly addresses this challenge by providing faster, more affordable and more predictable logistics options for Nigerian businesses,” the FMITI said.
It, therefore, encouraged Nigerian exporters, business associations, logistics operators and MSMEs to take full advantage of the corridor to scale Nigerian products across African markets.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony in Lagos, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, described the partnership as another concrete demonstration of Nigeria’s commitment to making the AfCFTA work for businesses.
Oduwole said, “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, which is 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 noted that the corridor is expected to support exporters in high-growth sectors including agribusiness, fashion and textiles, cosmetics, processed foods, light manufacturing and other Made-in-Nigeria products, while contributing to Nigeria’s broader industrialisation and export diversification
agenda.
Commenting on the collaboration, the Director of Cargo Services, RwandAir, Mr. Jean Bosco Gakwaya, said that “this partnership between RwandAir Cargo and Nigeria’s FMITI enables us to connect Nigerian manufacturers to key markets across East and Southern Africa using our RwandAir network.
“This is a pivotal moment for intra-African trade and for how we move goods across the continent.
“Our ability to efficiently connect businesses to markets across regions reinforces the role of air cargo in Africa’s economic development.”
The strategic partnership with RwandAir also reflected the growing commercial cooperation between Nigeria and Rwanda, following the bilateral engagement between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria and President Paul Kagame of Rwanda on the sidelines of the 13th Africa CEO Forum in Kigali in May 2026.
The FMITI said that Nigeria–East and Southern Africa Air Cargo Corridor was first launched in 2025 through a partnership with Uganda Airlines, which opened access to Entebbe, Uganda; Nairobi, Kenya, and Johannesburg, South Africa.
It said that with RwandAir now joining the corridor, Nigerian exporters have a wider network and stronger logistics support to reach more markets across the continent.
The ministry also acknowledged the collaboration of key partners and institutions, including the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, the NCS, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council.
Others are business associations, licensed freight forwarders, and the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa.
It advised Nigerian businesses seeking to use the corridor to contact licensed freight forwarders or the RwandAir cargo desk at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, for guidance on rates and the completion of trade formalities.
