Nigeria’s federal government has expanded air cargo export routes across East and Southern Africa in a move aimed at reducing freight costs and boosting intra-African trade.
According to TheCable, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, announced the development on Tuesday through a video shared on X.
Oduwole said the initiative was designed to tackle high logistics costs that have long limited Nigerian businesses from competing effectively in African markets.
She explained that exporters previously faced freight charges ranging from $3 to $10 per kilogram, making many products too expensive by the time they reached destination markets.
“By the time those products arrived at their destination, they could no longer compete on price,” the minister said.
She added that the high costs pushed some businesses towards informal and risky trade channels to move goods across borders.
New export rates introduced
Under the expanded trade corridor, new cargo rates have been introduced for exports originating from Lagos to major African cities.
Exports from Lagos to Kigali will attract a minimum charge of $100, with rates set at $1.4 per kilogram for shipments below 1,000kg and $1.2/kg for shipments above 1,000kg.
Shipments from Lagos to Johannesburg now carry a $120 minimum charge, with rates of $1.9/kg below 1,000kg and $1.7/kg above that threshold.
For Harare, exporters will pay a minimum of $110, with rates fixed at $1.8/kg below 1,000kg and $1.5/kg above 1,000kg.
Exports to Lusaka will also attract a $110 minimum charge, with rates of $1.8/kg below 1,000kg and $1.6/kg above 1,000kg.
Uganda Airlines partnership expanded
Oduwole said the trade corridor was first launched in 2025 in partnership with Uganda Airlines, opening routes to Entebbe, Nairobi and Johannesburg under the African Continental Free Trade Area framework.
She said the initiative had already reduced cargo rates on some routes by as much as 75 per cent within one year.
The minister noted that five women-led businesses participated in the first shipment to Kenya on May 25, 2025, paving the way for wider adoption among Nigerian exporters.
RwandaAir joins corridor
The expansion now includes a partnership with RwandAir, adding routes to Kigali, Lusaka, Harare and Johannesburg.
According to Oduwole, the rebated cargo rates will reduce freight costs to below $2 per kilogram on selected routes.
She said the expanded network would provide Nigerian exporters with faster and more affordable access to regional markets while supporting the government’s drive to boost non-oil exports under AfCFTA.
