Nigeria, Ethiopian Airlines partnership on Nigeria Air, a boost to Africa- Moges

The Nigeria Air project has been described as a partnership between the two highest populated African nations that will impact greatly on the Aviation industry in the continent and intergovernmental relationships.

This was the declaration of Dagmawit Moges, the Ethiopian Minister of Transport and Logistics, when she led the country’s delegation at the 41st General Assembly of ICAO on a courtesy visit to Hadi Sirik, the Aviation Minister, at the Nigerian ICAO Mission office in Montreal Canada.

According to Moges, the government of Ethiopia, particularly, Ethiopian Airlines, is very excited about the partnership for the establishment of Nigeria’s national carrier and hoped that it will open new vistas for partnership in other areas, political and economic.

She commended the Nigerian government for picking Ethiopian Airlines as the Preferred partner for the national carrier out of the numerous interests that were expressed, assuring that the consideration would not be taken for granted.

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Moges also said that Nigeria, with its position as a major player in the global aviation industry, remains an attractive partner and expressed optimism that the establishment of Nigeria Air will be beneficial to all involved, including the Nigerian teeming populace.

Welcoming the Ethiopian Minister and her delegation, Hadi Sirika stated that the decision to establish the national carrier through a partnership was not because Nigeria lacked the capacity to do it, but because it wanted to avoid the issues that led to the collapse of the previous national carrier.

He said that the choice of Ethiopian Airlines was based on the premises of having shown that government business can be run profitably, apart from being an African airline that has carved a niche for itself in the world air transportation industry.

Sirika described the national carrier project as one that was dear to the heart of President Muhammadu Buhari, saying that its successful delivery amounted to a major boost to the development and success of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) to which both countries are signatories.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.