Members of the Economic Community of West African States’ parliament are gathered in Lome, Togo to address the high cost of air transport within the sub-region.
According to the Co-Chair, Delocalised meeting Joint of Joint Committee: Infrastructure, Energy and Mines, Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Sekou Momadu, the prohibitive cost of airfare is a real obstacle to the successful integration for West African peoples.
Momadu, who spoke at the opening of the joint meeting of the sixth Legislature in Lome, Togo on Tuesday stressed that high airfare within the sub-region has continued to undermine the significant progress made by the regional body.
The theme of the meeting is “air transport as a means of integrating West African peoples: a strategy for reducing airfare costs.”
He said despite the significant progress and achievements of ECOWAS, the sub-region is still plagued by numerous challenges which include the high cost of airfare.
According to him:“Indeed, the prohibitive cost of airfare is a real obstacle to the benefits of successful integration for West African peoples who want to see their travel facilitated to strengthen ties between ECOWAS peoples, see local entrepreneurs expand their markets, investors explore new opportunities, and regional tourism develop.
“As highlighted by the Authority of Heads of State and Government at its 65th Summit held in Abuja in July 2024, the cost of air travel within the ECOWAS region is considered one of the highest on the African continent. Airfares in West Africa remain excessively high compared to other regions of the world. In some cases, it is cheaper to travel outside the African continent than between two ECOWAS member states. This situation is counterproductive to the vision of a borderless and interconnected region.”
He said that the purpose of the meeting, therefore, is to proffer a solution that will help drive down the cost of airfare within the region.
“ Indeed, our Supplementary Act requires us to engage with our constituents and share with them the challenges they face in order to make recommendations to the relevant authorities or institutions for applicable solutions.
“That is why we are gathered here, with the objective of examining together—through expert presentations, panel discussions, and direct exchanges with key stakeholders—strategies and policies likely to contribute to reducing the cost of airfare in our sub-region. This includes exploring best practices in regulatory reforms, infrastructure development, tax policies, and airline operations,” he added.
