ECOWAS has announced plans to eliminate air ticket taxes across all airports in West Africa from January 1, 2026, a decision expected to reduce the region’s notoriously high airfares and strengthen cross-border connectivity. The bloc’s Director of Transport and Communications revealed the move during the ECOWAS Council of Ministers’ meeting in Abuja, noting that the reform is part of a wider package approved by West African leaders in December 2024.
According to ECOWAS, more than six decades of studies show that West Africa has the highest air transport costs on the continent. Excessive taxes and aviation-related charges imposed by member states account for up to 70 per cent of ticket prices. These charges, the bloc said, violate International Civil Aviation Organization guidelines and have long suppressed demand, discouraged tourism, limited regional trade and made mobility within the sub-region unaffordable for citizens and businesses.
The ticket-tax removal is central to ECOWAS’ regional integration agenda, which depends heavily on affordable transport. Officials stressed that air travel is a key enabler of intra-African commerce, education, tourism, healthcare access and cross-border trade. For small businesses, especially traders moving goods between Lagos, Accra, Abidjan and Dakar, high airfares have long raised costs and reduced margins. ECOWAS cited examples where traders pay no less than $3,000 on a Lagos–Dakar route, with taxes forming the bulk of the fare.
The bloc is already engaging airlines to ensure that the removal of taxes directly reflects in lower fares. It argues that other African regions offer cheaper air travel because their governments impose fewer aviation charges, allowing carriers to operate more competitively. ECOWAS is also liaising with national parliaments, aviation regulators and transport ministries to ensure smooth implementation by 2026.
West Africa’s aviation sector has struggled for years due to slow growth, low passenger numbers and high operating costs. ECOWAS leaders adopted the tax removal during their December 2024 summit, describing it as a landmark step toward revitalizing the industry and expanding mobility for millions of citizens.
This development comes at a politically tense moment for the bloc. In recent days ECOWAS declared a state of emergency across the region in response to rising coups and attempted power seizures, and ordered the deployment of its standby force to Benin after a foiled coup attempt. Despite these security concerns, the bloc is pushing ahead with reforms aimed at improving trade, connectivity, and economic resilience across West Africa.
