The minister of aviation and aerospace development, Mr Festus Keyamo on Thursday held talks with the ambassador of Namibia to Nigeria, Mr Humphrey Geiseb on the existing Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between both countries and potential collaboration to enhance aviation connectivity between them.
Speaking during a courtesy visit to Keyamo in his office in Abuja, the ambassador highlighted the historical importance of Air Namibia’s operations, noting that the airline previously connected Lagos to Accra and played a key role in facilitating travel between Namibia and Nigeria.
Unfortunately, he said the carrier had financial difficulties and was eventually forced to cease operations following a government bailout.
Currently, he said it is a challenge to directly connect Windhoek, Namibia’s capital, with Nigeria, with travelers having to transit through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
“While there are occasional flights via TAG Airlines, they are not frequent enough to meet the demand for seamless travel between the two nations,” he said.
He expressed his country’s desire to partner with Nigerian airlines to restore direct connectivity, citing ongoing discussions with Air Peace.
Geiseb assured the minister that he would engage Namibia’s minister of aviation to arrange a possible visit to further strengthen the aviation cooperation between both countries.
He appealed to Keyamo to encourage Nigeria’s domestic carrier to explore potential collaboration opportunities with the Southwest African country.
In his remarks, Keyamo expressed his support for the project and shared a personal experience regarding the challenges of establishing direct flights in the region.
He one of Nigeria’s domestic carriers, Xejet, which currently operates Sierra Leone’s national carrier, Air Sierra Leone, could be a potential partner in this venture.
However, Keyamo raised the issue of visa challenges between Nigeria and Namibia, recalling his own recent difficulty in obtaining a visa despite holding a diplomatic passport.
He urged the ambassador to work towards resolving the issue to facilitate smoother travel and to open doors for more trade and investment relations between the two countries.
Spokesman for the minister, Mr Tunde Moshood said in a statement that Geiseb’s visit was a significant step in fostering closer aviation and diplomatic relations between Nigeria and Namibia, with both parties committed to exploring new opportunities that will benefit both nations’ aviation sectors and promote greater economic cooperation.
