The African Air Transport Convention & Expo 2026 in Lomé, Togo, has rapidly evolved into a high-level political aviation summit, drawing an unusually dense mix of sitting presidents, former heads of state, ministers, and continental institution leaders in what is being framed as one of the most politically significant aviation gatherings on the continent this year.
Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo was among the most visible senior figures at the opening sessions, where he was formally received within a Nigerian delegation led by Aviation and Aerospace Development Minister Festus Keyamo. The delegation also included senior regulatory and institutional figures such as the Secretary General of the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), Adefunke Adeyemi, and Nigeria’s NCAA Director-General Captain Chris Najomo, underscoring Abuja’s full-spectrum representation in the Lomé discussions.
In parallel, host nation Togo placed the summit under the direct political visibility of President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, who is associated with the event’s high-level patronage and opening framework. His presence, alongside senior African Union-linked aviation institutions, has reinforced the perception that the expo is functioning as a policy summit rather than a conventional trade exhibition.
Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame was also cited among attendees in coverage from the event’s opening day, where his participation is being linked to broader discussions on air connectivity, visa openness, and the Single African Air Transport Market agenda. While official programme documents emphasize institutional participation across multiple states, the Kigali leader’s presence aligns with Rwanda’s consistent push for liberalised airspace and regional integration policies.
Beyond serving presidents, the event has also drawn former continental leaders and senior statesmen, with Obasanjo’s attendance reflecting a broader pattern in which elder African political figures continue to play convening roles in infrastructure and integration debates. Their presence adds political weight to technical aviation discussions that typically remain within regulatory or commercial circles.
What distinguishes this edition in Lomé is the density of cross-level participation; heads of state and former presidents appearing alongside aviation ministers, civil aviation regulators, airline executives, and development finance institutions under a single policy umbrella. The African Union Commission, AFCAC, and AfCFTA Secretariat are central institutional actors in the programme architecture, linking aviation liberalisation directly to continental trade integration.
The convergence signals a strategic shift in how African aviation is being framed, not merely as an industry sector, but as a geopolitical infrastructure issue tied to mobility, market integration, and economic diplomacy. In that context, the Lomé gathering is functioning less as an expo and more as a negotiation space for the future architecture of African airspace connectivity.
