Nigeria has launched a National High-Level Sustainable Aviation Fuel Steering Committee in Abuja, marking the country's most significant commitment yet to reducing the carbon footprint of its rapidly growing aviation sector and aligning with the global aviation industry's net-zero emissions target for 2050.

The launch, held at the International Conference Centre in Abuja on Monday, 20 July 2026, brings together government agencies, regulators, airlines, fuel suppliers, and industry stakeholders under a coordinated national body to develop and implement Nigeria's Sustainable Aviation Fuel strategy — covering production pathways, supply chain development, blending mandates, fiscal incentives, and regulatory frameworks.

Why SAF Matters for Nigeria

Sustainable Aviation Fuel is the aviation industry's primary near-term tool for reducing carbon emissions. Unlike hydrogen or electric propulsion — which require fundamental changes to aircraft design and infrastructure — SAF is a drop-in fuel that can be used in existing aircraft engines and existing fuel infrastructure, requiring no modification to aircraft or airport fuelling systems. The International Air Transport Association estimates that SAF could contribute up to 65 per cent of the cumulative carbon reductions needed to achieve aviation's net-zero 2050 target.

For Nigeria — which recorded 21.3 per cent aviation capacity growth in June 2026 and is the fastest-growing aviation market in Africa — the challenge of managing carbon emissions is both a regulatory obligation and a commercial opportunity. Nigerian carriers operating international routes to Europe and other regions are increasingly subject to carbon pricing mechanisms that make their Jet A1 fuel cost basis a competitive disadvantage relative to carriers that can access SAF at scale.

What the Steering Committee Will Do

The National High-Level SAF Steering Committee is expected to develop a Nigerian SAF Roadmap — setting out production targets, blending percentage milestones, feedstock strategies, and the fiscal and regulatory measures needed to make SAF commercially viable for Nigerian airlines. Nigeria has potential feedstock advantages: the country's agricultural sector produces sugarcane, palm oil, and other biomass that are viable SAF feedstocks, creating the possibility of a domestic SAF production industry that generates economic activity alongside environmental benefits.

The committee will also engage with international SAF producers, development finance institutions, and aviation partners to explore import arrangements and investment partnerships that can supplement any domestic production with competitively priced SAF supplies for Nigerian airports. NCAA Director-General Capt. Chris Najomo was involved in the launch, reflecting the regulatory dimension of the initiative alongside its policy and commercial components.

Nigeria's Position in the African SAF Landscape

The launch positions Nigeria alongside South Africa, Kenya, and Ethiopia as African states that have taken formal institutional steps toward SAF adoption — a club that is still small relative to the scale of Africa's aviation emissions challenge but that is growing as international carbon pricing pressure intensifies. The African Union's Single African Air Transport Market agenda, endorsed at the Lomé Declaration in June 2026, increasingly treats sustainability alongside connectivity and affordability as a pillar of the continent's aviation development strategy. Nigeria's National SAF Steering Committee launch aligns with that continental direction and reinforces Nigeria's positioning as a leader in African aviation policy reform under Minister Keyamo's tenure.