The Managing Director of Skyway Aviation Handling Company, Mrs Adenike Aboderin, has told the 2026 Airport Business Summit and Expo in Lagos that Nigeria's challenge in air cargo is no longer one of demand availability but of operational efficiency — calling on stakeholders to transform Nigeria's fragmented trade activity into a fast, transparent, and digitally driven cargo ecosystem.
Aboderin, represented at the summit by SAHCO's Executive Director of Business Development, Babatunde Afolabi, presented a paper on air cargo logistics and e-commerce supply chains in Nigeria — making the case that Nigeria's booming digital economy and expanding non-oil export base represent a cargo opportunity that the country's aviation infrastructure is currently under-equipped to exploit at scale.
The Numbers Behind the Opportunity
Nigeria recorded $6.1 billion in non-oil exports in 2025, and the country's online population reached 109 million by the end of that year. IATA data confirmed Africa-Asia routes led global air cargo market expansion in April 2026, reinforcing that Nigeria's non-oil exports are natural candidates for the corridors growing fastest globally. Capturing meaningful market share requires air cargo facilities that can compete on speed, reliability, and digital transparency that international shippers and e-commerce platforms demand.
What Digital Transformation Would Require
Aboderin's call encompasses electronic cargo documentation and customs processing to reduce airport dwell times; digital tracking systems providing real-time cargo status; integration between e-commerce platforms and air cargo booking systems; and dedicated e-commerce cargo facilities at Nigerian airports with temperature-controlled, time-sensitive handling infrastructure. SAHCO, as Nigeria's largest aviation handling company, is positioned to play a central role in any such transformation — and the ABSE presentation was in part a call to government and industry to create the regulatory and infrastructure conditions in which cargo operators can invest in the systems and facilities needed to capture this significant opportunity for Nigeria.
