Olusegun Obasanjo, former Nigerian President, has laid out a socio-economic equation for the continent’s transport and hospitality sectors, warning that regional aviation cannot survive on infrastructure alone without the foundation of good governance and widespread economic prosperity.
Speaking as the Special Guest of Honour at the opening of the AeroWest Summit 2026 in Lagos, the former head of state challenged policymakers, airline executives, and investors to look beyond terminal buildings and route maps, targeting the root causes of underdevelopment that keep African skies underutilised.
“For aviation to fly, there must be passengers,” Obasanjo stated plainly, mapping out the interlocking chain required for industry growth. “For passengers to be available, there must be prosperity. For prosperity to exist, there must be a thriving economy. For a thriving economy to be there, there must be good governance.”
Addressing the summit’s theme—”Financing Connectivity: Unlocking Aviation and Tourism Growth in West and Central Africa”—Obasanjo argued that connectivity cannot thrive in a policy or economic vacuum.
Rather than pointing fingers at a lack of natural sites or geographical assets, Obasanjo identified a persistent failure to preserve, package, and value the rich cultural and natural heritage already present across West and Central Africa.
Strategic Partnerships: Aviation regulators and tourism authorities must break out of institutional silos to build synchronised, cross-sector plans.
Grassroots Capacity Building: Hospitality and visitor management training must extend into local communities to ensure authentic guest engagement.
Heritage Conservation: Governments must actively safeguard natural ecosystems and historical landmarks to render them viable for global and regional visitors.
Cultural Integration: Travel operators must focus on creating meaningful, immersive connections between visitors, host communities, and regional history.
The former president issued a stern warning against producing empty declarations that yield no practical follow-through.
He charged the organisers, delegates, and attending government representatives with a strict mandate of operational continuity and accountability.
“This summit is the beginning, and it should not be the end,” Obasanjo warned the assembly. “We must get it right.”
Obasanjo’s urgent call to action was picked up directly by summit convener Ola Wright, CEO of the West Africa Tourism Organisation (WATO). Reinforcing the former president’s diagnosis, Wright noted that Africa’s primary issue has never been a lack of world-class attractions or compelling historical narratives.
Instead, the continent continues to suffer from chronic underinvestment and severely fragmented transit networks that turn short regional trips into costly, multi-leg ordeals.
Ola Wright, Summit Convener and CEO of the West Africa Tourism Organisation (WATO), observed that Africa has never lacked breathtaking world-class destinations or captivating cultural stories.
Rather, the continent has been held back by decades of chronic underinvestment and wildly fragmented transit networks that make travelling between neighbouring nations a frustrating ordeal.
Wright noted that Africa has never lacked world-class destinations or compelling stories, but has long suffered from poor investment and fragmented transit networks.
“Our challenge is not simply creating attractions, but attracting people to the attractions we have already created,” Wright told the assembly. “The future of Africa’s tourism will be determined by connectivity, investments, and business integration.”
“Our challenge is not simply creating attractions, but attracting people to the attractions we have already created,” Wright stated. “The future of Africa’s tourism will be determined by connectivity, investments, and business integration.”
The three-day AeroWest Summit in Lagos gathers aviation operators, tourism stakeholders, and government delegates from West Africa, Central Africa, and the Caribbean to chart a concrete roadmap for regional integration. The event concludes on Friday, September 4, 2026
