hris Appiah, ECOWAS director of transport and communications, disclosed the policy shift during an interview with journalists on the sidelines of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers meeting on Wednesday in Abuja.
Appiah said the directive—approved by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in December 2024—follows years of technical studies confirming that West Africa has the highest airfares in Africa, driven largely by government-imposed taxes and aviation charges.
According to him, studies show that 64% to 70% of the cost of a typical airline ticket in West Africa is made up of taxes and charges, far higher than what passengers face in other African regions.