AfDB Appoints Keyamo to Drive Africa’s $7bn Aviation Development Programme

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has appointed Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, as the African Champion for its $7 billion Integrated Aviation Transformation Programme for Africa (IATP).

The appointment was announced ahead of the bank’s 2026 Annual Meetings scheduled to hold in Brazzaville, Congo, where Nigeria and the AfDB are expected to sign a formal Letter of Intent on the initiative.

According to the AfDB, Keyamo was selected in recognition of Nigeria’s leadership and ongoing policy reforms aimed at transforming the country’s aviation sector and improving investor confidence.

The Integrated Aviation Transformation Programme for Africa is a continent-wide initiative designed to modernise Africa’s aviation ecosystem through private, institutional, and concessional funding. The programme seeks to improve infrastructure, financing, and connectivity across the continent’s air transport sector.

The bank noted that although Africa accounts for nearly 18 percent of the global population, African airlines currently contribute less than three percent of global air traffic, highlighting the need for stronger investment and coordination within the sector.

By Oshuniran Sheriff Ola