NIGERIA has set the stage for direct flights with the signing of a Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) with Trinidad and Tobago, according to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo.
By signing this agreement and with direct flights in the works, the deal potentially reduces travel time and costs between West Africa and the Caribbean.
The signing puts to rest a deal that had been in the process for over 20 years, making Nigeria the first African nation to enter into such an aviation partnership with a Caribbean country.
In a statement via his official social media account on Tuesday, April 15, the signing ceremony, which took place in Trinidad and Tobago, saw Keyamo sign the agreement on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
While revealing that negotiations for the deal began more than two decades ago but had remained stalled until now, Keyamo described the finalisation of the BASA as a major milestone in Nigeria’s effort to open up the trans-Atlantic route and expand its air connectivity to South America and the Caribbean.
“In our continued effort to open up the South American and Caribbean routes to Nigeria, earlier today. I signed the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and Trinidad and Tobago that has been in limbo for more than two decades when negotiations began,” Keyamo stated.
The minister also underscored the broader significance of the agreement, calling it a strategic step toward strengthening economic and social cooperation among Global South nations in response to shifting global dynamics.
In February 2025, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) amended their Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) to enhance code-share arrangements, allowing airlines to share flights and sell tickets on each other’s networks while boosting interlining opportunities and strengthening bilateral aviation ties.
In March 2025, Nigeria and Canada finalised a Code-sharing Agreement under a new Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA), aimed at improving air connectivity and offering greater convenience for passengers traveling between the two countries.
Nigeria and Brazil have also advanced discussions to activate their Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA), which will establish direct flights between the two countries. This follows a commitment made in February 2024 by Presidents Tinubu and Lula da Silva in Addis Ababa to strengthen air connectivity between Nigeria and Brazil.
The ICIR reports that Nigeria is determined to expand the bilateral trade deals between Nigeria and Trinidad and Tobago and other Caribbean countries.
Currently, Nigeria’s trade volume with the Caribbean is relatively small compared to its overall trade activity, though there’s potential for growth.
In 2023, Nigeria exported $256.51 million worth of goods to Jamaica alone, according to Trading Economics. Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in Latin America and the Caribbean represented 1.1668 per cent of Nigeria’s total merchandise imports in 2020.
Nigeria’s exports to the Caribbean region are primarily focused on mineral fuels, oils, and distillation products.
Harrison Edeh is a journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, always determined to drive advocacy for good governance through holding public officials and businesses accountable.