Togo positions itself as a new African aviation hub ahead of the AFCAC convention in Lomé
From 15 to 19 June 2026, Togo will host the African Air Transport Convention & Expo 2026, a continental event that will bring more than 500 participants from the aviation industry, public institutions, the financial sector and international organisations to Lomé. According to official information from the African Civil Aviation Commission, AFCAC, the convention is designed as a platform for accelerating the implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market, known as SAATM, and for strengthening connectivity, infrastructure investment and the sustainable development of air transport on the continent.
The gathering in the capital of Togo comes at a time when Lomé is increasingly being highlighted as a regional transfer point between West, Central, East and Southern Africa. According to data from Gnassingbé Eyadéma International Airport, 1,506,946 passengers passed through the airport in 2024, which is about six percent more than the year before. The same source states that the airport is connected with 39 destinations, is served by 11 scheduled airlines and recorded approximately 16,915 aircraft movements.
For Togo, organising such a gathering is more than a protocolary hosting role. In its event announcement, AFCAC states that discussions in Lomé will focus on the liberalisation of African skies, reducing air transport costs, developing new routes, air cargo, investment in airports and the modernisation of navigation services. In this way, Togo is trying to present itself as a practical example of a country that, although smaller in market terms than larger African economies, is building its air connectivity through location, partnerships and the role of a regional hub.
Lomé as a stage for the debate on a single African sky
According to the official event website, the African Air Transport Convention & Expo 2026 will be held at the Hôtel 2 Février in central Lomé, with the logistical advantage of proximity to the international airport, which is about four kilometres from the city centre. The organisers state that the programme will last five days and include high-level political meetings, ministerial round tables, bilateral negotiations, an industry exhibition, business meetings and expert discussions. For participants coming to the capital of Togo, accommodation offers in Lomé are also particularly relevant, but the main emphasis of the event is not placed on tourist visibility but on regulatory and investment decisions.
AFCAC announces that the gathering will bring together decision-makers from governments, civil aviation authorities, airlines, airports, air traffic control service providers, financial institutions, aircraft maintenance sectors, educational institutions and technology companies. AFCAC, the African Union Commission, the Government of Togo, AfCFTA and AUDA-NEPAD are highlighted in the announcement as co-organisers, which shows that air transport is viewed as part of a broader continental policy of trade integration, mobility and infrastructure development.
The official programme provides that the first day will focus on the implementation of SAATM and the affordability of air transport. AFCAC states that discussions will address political support for market liberalisation, the costs of air transport in Africa and taxes, charges and fees that affect ticket prices. The rest of the programme includes discussions on air cargo, corridor route development, travel facilitation, infrastructure investment, sustainable aviation fuels, technology and workforce development.
SAATM is the backbone of the debate on Africa’s connectivity
The Single African Air Transport Market is one of the flagship projects of the African Union’s Agenda 2063. According to the African Union, the goal of SAATM is to promote connectivity between capital cities and other important destinations in Africa by creating a single air transport market, as an incentive for the continent’s economic integration. AFCAC states that this mechanism is linked to the Yamoussoukro Decision, that is, the framework for liberalising access to air transport markets among African states.
In practice, SAATM should make it easier to open new routes and reduce barriers arising from old bilateral restrictions. According to AFCAC, the aim is to increase intra-continental connectivity, support economic development and enable airlines to plan flights more easily according to market demand. The discussion in Lomé will therefore not be merely technical: it concerns travel prices, the competitiveness of African airlines, trade in high-value goods and access to smaller markets that depend on better links with regional centres.
The organisers also announce possible concrete outcomes, including the Lomé ministerial declaration, a framework for taxes, charges and fees, a platform for the development of African routes, priority cargo and trade corridors and a list of infrastructure projects ready for talks with financiers. According to the official programme, alignment of bilateral air service agreements with the provisions of the Yamoussoukro Decision is also expected, as well as agreement on framework steps for sustainable aviation fuels and low-carbon fuels.
Why Togo has entered the focus of the aviation industry
Togo is not the largest market in West Africa, but it has several elements that give it aviation weight greater than the size of its domestic market. Lomé is located on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea and has a position that enables the connection of West and Central Africa with other parts of the continent. The official airport website points out that Aéroport International Gnassingbé Eyadéma hosts growing traffic, and official data on more than 1.5 million passengers in 2024 show that traffic is recovering and expanding after a period of disruption in global aviation.
An important part of this strategy is connected with the carrier ASKY Airlines, which is based in Lomé. According to ASKY data, the company’s network covers 30 destinations in 28 countries of West, Central, East and Southern Africa, with 336 flights per week and an average of 24,000 passengers carried weekly. ASKY also states that its network is organised around the Lomé hub, which is gradually positioning itself as a regional hub, and that the connections are aligned with the network of its strategic partner Ethiopian Airlines.
Such a model explains why hosting the AFCAC convention has symbolic and practical value. In African air transport, what is decisive is not only the size of a single airport but the ability to create regular, reliable and financially sustainable connections between markets that are often insufficiently directly connected. If new regulatory steps are agreed in Lomé and if part of the announced investment projects is turned into feasible plans, Togo could further strengthen its position as an intermediary air hub for the wider region.
Costs, fees and infrastructure among the main challenges
One of the central themes of the convention will be the price of air transport in Africa. In the programme, AFCAC states that taxes, charges and fees will be discussed in particular, because these costs can significantly affect the final price of an airline ticket. In many African states, air transport remains expensive in relation to the population’s purchasing power, and weak connectivity often increases travel time and the number of transfers even between relatively nearby cities.
Another major challenge relates to infrastructure. The programme of the gathering provides for discussions on how to make aviation projects acceptable for financing, how to prepare investment projects for airports and navigation service providers, and how to connect the public sector, development banks and private investors. AFCAC announces that one of the outcomes should be a list of projects ready for investment, which means that more than general declarations is expected from participants.
The third area concerns air cargo and trade corridors. According to the official programme, one of the goals is to align route development with the value chains of the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA. This is important because air cargo, although smaller in volume than maritime or road transport, plays a major role in transporting higher-value goods, medicines, fresh products and urgent shipments. Better connectivity can also help countries without strong domestic airlines if they become included in regional networks.
Sustainability and human capital in the same package as market liberalisation
The convention in Lomé will not deal only with market opening and infrastructure. According to the AFCAC programme, part of the gathering is devoted to sustainable air transport, climate resilience, sustainable aviation fuels and low-carbon aviation fuels. The organisers announce discussions on framework measures, investments, sources of raw materials, partnerships and state conditions needed for the development of cleaner energy sources in aviation.
The issue of sustainability is particularly sensitive for African carriers because they are expected to modernise and reduce their climate footprint while at the same time operating in markets with limited capital, smaller fleets and high operating costs. For this reason, discussions on sustainability will probably be linked to financing, technology and regulatory support, and not only to general emission reduction goals. If such discussions are turned into a project framework, they could help airports and carriers gain easier access to international financial instruments.
The programme also includes innovation, digital technologies, women, young people and skills development in air transport. According to AFCAC, the goal is to determine priorities for future workforces, inclusion and the technological adaptation of the industry. This is an important part of the discussion because the expansion of routes, airports and air traffic control systems cannot be sustainable in the long term without pilots, engineers, controllers, safety experts, airport management specialists and digital systems experts.
A gathering with political weight and economic ambitions
The official event website states that the convention is being held under the high patronage of Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, President of the Council of the Republic of Togo. According to the official website of the Presidency of the Council, Gnassingbé was invested in that office in 2025 after institutional changes in Togo. In the context of the AFCAC gathering, his role is presented through the hosting by a state that wants to demonstrate aviation, hotel and conference infrastructure capable of supporting a major international gathering.
For the African aviation industry, political support remains crucial because the liberalisation of air transport does not depend only on companies. Decisions are needed from governments, civil aviation authorities, competition regulators, migration services, customs authorities and financial institutions. Therefore, according to the programme, Lomé will bring together not only aviation executives and investors but also ministers, regulators, representatives of international organisations and experts in safety, infrastructure and trade.
The announced results of the gathering will be an important test of whether the long-standing idea of a single African sky can be turned into measurable changes. If only declarations remain after the convention, the effect will be limited. If, however, concrete steps are agreed on routes, fees, agreements, financing and sustainability, Lomé could become one of the places where African aviation liberalisation gained a more operational form.
What the convention could mean for passengers and business connectivity
For end passengers, the most important question is not the institutional name of the initiative, but whether travel within Africa will become simpler, faster and more affordable. According to the African Union, SAATM is designed as an instrument for strengthening the continent’s integration through air connectivity. In practice, this would mean more direct routes, better flight frequency, fewer unnecessary transfers outside the region and stronger competition, although such effects cannot be achieved overnight.
For the economy, expectations are broader. Air transport connects business centres, enables faster movement of experts, supports the conference industry and tourism and facilitates the export of goods for which delivery time is crucial. In the case of Togo, the air hub in Lomé builds on the country’s broader ambition to be a logistics and services point in West Africa. This does not mean that success is guaranteed, but it explains why the upcoming AFCAC gathering is viewed as an important event for the country’s positioning.
Until the start of the convention on 15 June 2026, the key announcements will remain in the realm of expectations. However, the official programme, the number of announced participants, the role of AFCAC as the African Union’s specialised agency for civil aviation and the growth of traffic at Lomé airport give the event broader significance than an ordinary industry fair. In June, Togo will have the opportunity to show whether its position as a regional aviation hub can become part of a larger African story about more connected, more competitive and more sustainable air transport.
Sources:
- AFCAC / African Air Transport Convention & Expo 2026 – official information on the date, venue, programme, participants, expected outcomes and organisers of the event (link)
- AFCAC – official website of the African Civil Aviation Commission, the role of AFCAC and the connection with SAATM and the Yamoussoukro Decision (link)
- African Union – official description of the Single African Air Transport Market and its goals within continental integration (link)
- Aéroport International Gnassingbé Eyadéma – official traffic indicators for Lomé airport for 2024, number of destinations, carriers and aircraft movements (link)
- ASKY Airlines – official data on the network of destinations, number of flights, passengers and the role of the Lomé hub (link)
- Presidency of the Council of the Republic of Togo – official data on the office of President of the Council and Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé (link)