By Dickson Omobola & Matilda Ikediobi
Air cargo contribution to Nigeria’s exports has suffered a setback, dropping 10 per cent between the fourth quarter of 2024 and second quarter of 2025.
Despite the country’s trade potential, checks by Vanguard from the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, showed that between Q4 ‘24 and Q2 ‘25, air cargo trade dropped by N13.28 billion, falling from N127.3 billion to N114.02 billion.
Industry experts fingered the high cost of air freight, which is primarily priced in dollars, as a major factor, saying the devaluation of the naira had made it an increasingly expensive means of transportation.
Further findings by Vanguard showed that of the country’s total exports of N22,751 billion, just N114.02 billion worth of goods were transported by air in Q2 ‘25, compared to N124.5 billion in Q1 ‘25 and N127.3 billion in Q4 ‘24.
NBS, in its Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics for Q2 ’25, however, also revealed that the country experienced a 52 per cent drop in inbound cargo at N714.6 billion from N1.498.87 trillion in Q4 ’24 and N809 billion in Q1 ‘25.
In the second quarter of 2025, the report showed that most commodities exported out of Nigeria were by sea, with maritime transport accounting for N22,507.88 billion.
The report said: “Air transport accounted for N114.02 billion or 0.50 per cent whereas road transport accounted for N40.55 billion or 0.18 per cent, while other transport recorded N88.29 billion or 0.39 per cent.
“Similarly, maritime transport accounted for N14,466.88 billion or 94.64 per cent of the value of total imports, while air transport accounted for goods valued at N714.06 billion or 4.67 per cent while road transport accounted for N105.83 billion or 0.69 per cent.”
At the ports, Murtala Muhammed International Airport’s cargo terminal ranked lowest among the country’s top five import gateways, handling only N102.72 billion worth of goods in Q2 ‘25.
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Speaking to Vanguard on the development, Chief Executive Officer of Mainstream Cargo, Mr Seyi Adewale, called on federal government for deliberate policy interventions that would help in boosting volumes.
Adewale also said such an intervention should be matched with measures to cut export costs, while ensuring greater efficiency and a fairer naira exchange rate.
He said: “The decline in trade by air transport is mainly due to the high cost of air freight, which is primarily priced in dollars. The devaluation of the naira has made air freight an increasingly expensive means of transporting cargo.
“There are so many factors affecting cost such as the nature of goods, the volumetric weight if applicable, the final destination and so on. Air freight cost alone is approximately $4.00/kg to European Union countries and if the cost of aviation fuel increases, there is a surcharge.
“Nigeria can still build an export-driven economy through air cargo. A deliberate policy intervention to educate exporters on air cargo requirements, including proper packaging, would go a long way in boosting volumes.
“This should be combined with strategies to reduce export costs by improving efficiency and working toward a fairer exchange rate for the naira. In addition, positioning Nigeria as a West African regional hub for air cargo would significantly help in realising this potential.
“Special export processing zones, such as those being promoted by the African Development Bank, AfDB, could also play a key role. These zones would allow fresh produce to be processed, packaged and exported the same day, preserving quality and extending shelf life.”
For the organiser of CHINET Aviacargo conference, Mr Ikechi Uko, the decline was an indication that the economy was struggling.
According to him, the situation is not just peculiar to air cargo, as passenger numbers are also decreasing.
Uko, in a chat with Vanguard, said: “Nigeria has suffered a decline in air cargo in the past years. But it is not only in cargo. Our passenger numbers also have not gone up. Meanwhile, our export figures have gone up a little. It means the economy has been struggling, and imports by air have gone down.
“Before now, the high air cargo figures were from imports. Remember, 10 freighters were arriving full and leaving empty. Now, the freighters are few and not as frequent, which is a reflection of the state of the economy and the turbulence aviation had gone through in the past years.”
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