The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament has convened in Lomé for a five-day session aimed at tackling the persistent issue of exorbitant airline ticket prices within the region.
Organized by the Joint Committee on Infrastructure, Energy and Mining / Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources, the meeting brings together parliamentarians and aviation experts to assess the structural and fiscal challenges inflating the cost of air travel in West Africa.
Despite geographic proximity, airfares between West African countries often exceed those for intercontinental flights, limiting regional mobility and undermining integration efforts. “The prohibitive cost of airline tickets is one of the main obstacles to citizen mobility within ECOWAS, threatening our progress toward economic, social, and human integration,” said Ayao Dzreke, Fourth Deputy Speaker of Togo’s National Assembly, during his opening remarks.
Participants are working to identify the key drivers of high ticket prices—including excessive taxes, fuel costs, and regulatory constraints—and will propose policy recommendations for member states and airline operators. These could include tax relief measures and strategies to reduce the cost of aviation fuel, with the goal of making air travel more accessible to the population.
In addition to technical discussions, the session serves as a platform for advocacy, encouraging lawmakers to push for the effective implementation of existing regional aviation policies.
ECOWAS Parliament meets in Togo to address high airline ticket prices
I hope the authorities will soon make a decision and ask airlines to reduce airfares. The high prices actually affect the airlines’ revenue, as people no longer dare to fly, except in cases of force majeure.