Nigeria has become the first country to sign a country compact under the African Development Bank’s aviation transformation programme, marking a significant step toward reshaping air transport across the continent.

The partnership agreement was signed on Thursday on the sidelines of the 2026 AfDB Group Annual Meetings in Brazzaville, bringing together Nigeria’s Ministry of Aviation and the bank’s infrastructure division to drive investment in fleet modernisation, regional connectivity and airline competitiveness.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, AfDB’s Director of Infrastructure and Cities, Mike Salawou, described the initiative as a major continental programme designed to overhaul Africa’s aviation ecosystem. He noted that despite accounting for roughly 18 percent of the world’s population, African airlines hold only a marginal share of global air traffic — a gap he attributed to infrastructure deficits, fragmented markets and limited access to long-term financing.

“Nigeria, as Africa’s largest aviation market, is strategically positioned to play a leading role in the continent’s aviation transformation agenda,” Mr Salawou said, adding that the partnership would attract private investment and support the modernisation of airline operations across Africa.

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said the agreement addressed a foundational constraint on Africa’s economic ambitions. “Africa cannot achieve meaningful trade, tourism and investment growth without stronger air connectivity,” he said. Mr Keyamo added that the AfDB initiative would help Nigerian and African carriers access competitive financing structures comparable to those available to airlines in other regions — a long-standing disadvantage that has hampered fleet renewal and route expansion on the continent.

The minister confirmed that the federal government had given full approval and backing for the partnership.

Nigeria’s status as the first signatory underlines its outsized role in African aviation, with its domestic market and international routes representing a disproportionate share of the continent’s passenger traffic. Analysts have long argued that unlocking Nigeria’s aviation potential — through better airports, cheaper aircraft financing and improved inter-African routes — could serve as a catalyst for broader continental growth under the African Continental Free Trade Area framework.