By Chinasa Nwankwo
Liberia’s Ambassador to Nigeria and Permanent Representative to ECOWAS, John Ballout, has called for accelerated implementation of the recently adopted ECOWAS airfare policy toward ensuring affordable intra-regional air transportation.
Ballout, who is also Liberia’s Ambassador to the Republic of Benin and Equatorial Guinea, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) in Abuja.
NAN reports that ECOWAS leaders, in December, 2025, adopted the removal of 25 per cent tariff on air ticket taxes, fees, and other levies across West Africa by January 1, 2026.
The move, which is expected to reduce regional air travel cost by about 40 per cent, deepen ECOWAS free movement of persons and boost economic integration, has however remained stalled six months after.
“Air transport plays a very important and integral part of the whole essence of ECOWAS free movement and trading,” he said.
The ambassador said that he recently raised the issue during the presentation of his Letter of Credence to the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Touray.
Ballout said that although Touray had assured him that a follow-up meeting would hold to advance discussions on it alongside other pending issues, there was need to accelerate the policy’s implementation.
ECOWAS had adopted the policy under its “Supplementary Act on Aviation Charges, Taxes and Fees,” eliminating non-operational air transport taxes, including tourism levies, solidarity tax, passenger and security charges across all member states.
However, up till now, ECOWAS countries have yet to practically adjust their national laws to reflect these fare reductions, as only one country is said to have so far implemented it.
ECOWAS free movement of persons, goods and services is among the cardinal founding objectives of ECOWAS aimed at boosting regional economic growth, development and integration. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Mark Longyen
