The Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI) has announced a new partnership with RwandAir for the Nigeria–East and Southern Africa Air Cargo Corridor, to allow Nigeria to export goods more quickly and affordably to the regional markets. On Africa Day 2025, the Ministry launched the Nigeria–East and Southern Africa Air Cargo Corridor through a partnership with Uganda Airlines, which provided Nigerian exporters with tiered and rebated rates of up to 70 per cent below those of other commercial carriers for goods exported to Entebbe, Uganda; Nairobi, Kenya; and Johannesburg, South Africa.
In an update, the FMITI said the partnership was a major expansion of Nigeria’s implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). FMITI said, “Today, one year later, on Africa Day 2026, the FMITI is pleased to announce a partnership with RwandAir that extends the corridor to Kigali, Harare, and Lusaka as new destinations and gives Nigerian exporters a second choice of carrier on the Nairobi and Johannesburg routes.
“Cargo rates on the RwandAir routes are set at under $2 per kilogram for all five destinations, ensuring that Nigerian goods can access destination markets quickly and affordably. The RwandAir partnership will be formally flagged off in June 2026.” Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr.
Jumoke Oduwole, while commenting on the partnership, said, “One year ago, we promised that the AfCFTA would work in practice for Nigerian businesses, not only on paper. We set out to solve a practical problem: Nigerian businesses have goods that African markets want, but the cost of cargo was too high.
The ministry said prior to the partnership, many Nigerian exporters were faced with cargo costs ranging from $3 to $10 per kilogram for goods sent to East and Southern Africa, which made the cost of trade prohibitive and reduced the price competitiveness of Nigerian goods.
It, however, noted that the collaboration enables Nigeria to reach the market at competitive prices. “This corridor has kept that promise, and our whole-of-economy approach to AfCFTA implementation is yielding results. Nigeria’s non-oil exports to other African markets rose from $150 million in 2024 to $207 million in 2025.
“With RwandAir, we are widening the air cargo corridor, so that more Nigerian exporters can reach more markets at a cost that allows them to compete. These results show what is possible when the government creates the enabling environment and businesses respond with ambition.”