MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Air travel can be stressful for anyone during the holidays, but travelers in Africa arguably have it the worst. Africa is home to nearly a fifth of the global population, but it accounts for just 2% of the world's air traffic. Flights across much of the continent are among the most expensive in the world. They are also painfully long. In West Africa, though, that may be about to change, as NPR's Emmanuel Akinwotu reports from yet another very long layover at yet another airport.
(SOUNDBITE OF PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT CHIME)
EMMANUEL AKINWOTU, BYLINE: Every day, thousands of travelers have to pass through the Felix-Houphouet-Boigny Airport in Ivory Coast's capital, Abidjan, a major hub for flights in the region. In an ideal world, it would be simple to travel between cities in neighboring African countries. Instead, it's often a test of endurance.
UNIDENTIFIED AIRPORT ANNOUNCER: (Non-English language spoken).
AKINWOTU: Flying from Lagos, Nigeria, to Yaounde, the capital of neighboring Cameroon, is about the same distance as a flight from New York to Atlanta, but it costs over $1,200, and even the fastest option takes nine long hours through three countries and four cities.
UNIDENTIFIED AIRPLANE CREW #1: (Non-English language spoken).
AKINWOTU: Several popular routes in the region are just as bewildering. Take the 80-mile journey from Lagos, Nigeria, west to Cotonou in neighboring Benin. By air, it can take up to six hours and cost more than $700 - about what you'd pay for a flight from Lagos to London, nearly 4,000 miles away. The result is that Africa remains one of the least connected regions in the world by air, hampered by high taxes, extra fees and little cooperation between countries. But in West Africa, that may finally be starting to change.
CHRIS APPIAH: From 1 January 2026, the heads of states have agreed that all member states should remove taxes on air transport.
AKINWOTU: Chris Appiah is the director of transport at ECOWAS, a regional bloc of 12 West African countries. He says the deal aims to finally make flying more affordable. There have been many attempts in the past, but experts say this new measure could make an immediate difference.
LOLA ADEFOPE: The taxes that we have in place basically suppress tourism as opposed to supporting its growth.
AKINWOTU: Lola Adefope is the vice president of the Pan African Tourism Board (ph) and runs a corporate travel company called Business Travel Management.
ADEFOPE: Where we are able to remove or drastically reduce those taxes, the airfare itself automatically just drops. So I think that what ECOWAS is doing is definitely a step in the right direction.
AKINWOTU: It remains to be seen how much flight costs will actually drop and whether this will lead to a reduction in marathon travel times. Until then, flight travel remains a struggle.
UNIDENTIFIED AIRPLANE CREW #2: (Non-English language spoken).
AKINWOTU: Back in Abidjan, it's finally time to board. We stop in Ghana, then Benin, then over Nigeria, before finally touching down in Cameroon. Nine hours in the air for a trip that ought to take a fraction of the time. Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF FREDDIE GIBBS AND MADLIB'S "GAT DAMN (INSTRUMENTAL)") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
