The Federal Government has expanded Nigeria’s African Continental Free Trade Area export corridor through a new partnership with RwandAir aimed at lowering cargo costs and opening fresh export routes into East and Southern Africa.
The development comes one year after Nigeria launched the Nigeria-East and Southern Africa Air Cargo Corridor with Uganda Airlines as part of efforts to deepen intra-African trade under the AfCFTA framework.
In a statement issued on Sunday to commemorate Africa Day, the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment said the new agreement with RwandAir would extend the corridor to Kigali in Rwanda, Harare in Zimbabwe and Lusaka in Zambia, while also providing Nigerian exporters with an additional carrier option on the Nairobi and Johannesburg routes.
The ministry said the move was designed to tackle one of the biggest barriers facing Nigerian exporters on the continent, high logistics and cargo transportation costs.
The statement issued by the minister’s office read, “As Nigeria celebrates Africa Day 2026 the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI) is pleased to announce a major expansion of Nigeria’s implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) through a new strategic partnership with RwandAir for the Nigeria–East and Southern Africa Air Cargo Corridor.”
