The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, formally passed the hosting mantle to Senegal, marking a symbolic transition from Abuja to Dakar. This handover comes after Nigeria successfully hosted the 35th Airports Council International (ACI) Africa Annual General Assembly, Regional Conference, and Exhibition from September 19 to 25 in Abuja. The event drew over 500 professionals from across Africa and beyond.
The Abuja conference was held under the theme "Next-Gen Airports: Driving Performance and Resilience," focusing on critical issues such as operational efficiency, digital transformation, infrastructure modernization, sustainability, passenger experience, and resilience. The discussions provided a platform for Africa's airport operators, regulators, policymakers, technology providers, and aviation professionals to engage with pressing challenges confronting the continent's airports.
Senegal, represented by LAS (Limak-AIBD-Summa), the operator of Blaise Diagne International Airport, is set to host the 36th ACI Africa Annual General Assembly, Regional Conference, and Exhibition from March 20-26, 2027. The event aims to build on the momentum generated in Abuja, offering another opportunity for the African industry to assess progress and challenges in airport development.
The ACI Africa conference serves as a vital platform for promoting cooperation, professional excellence, and knowledge exchange among airports across the continent. The annual gathering enables airport executives, regulators, policymakers, and industry partners to compare experiences, examine emerging technologies, and develop common approaches to shared challenges.
Nigeria's hosting of the 35th edition provided an opportunity to showcase its airport infrastructure and aviation capabilities to the African and international airport community. The conference featured high-level discussions, technical workshops, exhibitions, and business-to-business engagements, focusing on smart airport technologies, climate-resilient infrastructure, passenger experience, safety innovation, and public-private partnerships.
The transition from Abuja to Dakar represents a continuation of the conversation and a test of whether African airports can translate conference resolutions into measurable improvements. For Nigeria, the discussions were particularly relevant, given its large aviation market and network of airports serving major commercial and population centers. The conference offered a platform for Nigerian airport managers to examine their systems against developments elsewhere in Africa.
The success of the Abuja conference will be measured by the changes it brings, rather than the number of delegates or scale of the exhibition. Senegal now has the opportunity to take the issues raised in Abuja and examine them within its own airport-development experience, providing the wider African industry with another chance to assess progress and challenges.
Key points
- The 36th ACI Africa Annual General Assembly will be hosted in Dakar, Senegal, from March 20-26, 2027.
- The Abuja conference drew over 500 professionals from across Africa and beyond.
- The conference theme was "Next-Gen Airports: Driving Performance and Resilience."
