While headlines at COP30 focused on energy transition and adaptation funds, aviation quietly emerged as one of Africa’s most strategic climate battlegrounds.
For African states, air connectivity is not a luxury; it is economic lifeblood. Yet new global decarbonisation standards risk raising ticket prices and compliance costs.
Nigeria’s delegation held bilateral talks with Brazil and the UAE on SAF supply chains and refinery partnerships.
At a transport roundtable, Ghana’s transport minister, Hon. Joseph Bukari Nikpe, warned that carbon pricing mechanisms must account for historical emissions disparities.
“Africa contributes less than 4 per cent of global aviation emissions, yet faces uniform compliance expectations,” he said.
Brazilian officials highlighted their biofuel leadership and encouraged African states to leverage agricultural residues for SAF production.
Professor Anthony Kila, who attended the summit as an observer, said Africa must approach aviation climate policy as industrial policy.
“This is about building a new fuel economy, not just meeting targets,” he said.
Behind closed doors, African negotiators sought guarantees that ICAO’s climate financing mechanisms would prioritise least-developed states.
As COP30 concluded, aviation may not have dominated plenaries, but for Africa’s growth trajectory, the decisions taken could shape the continent’s skies for decades.
By Oladokun Gbemisola
