International Airport Review
Waheedah Lawal Suleiman
14 September 2026
An industry perspective on the factors shaping airport competitiveness in Africa from Waheedah Lawal Suleiman, Manager of the Economic Committee for ACI Africa.
In discussions about airport development, competitiveness is often treated as an outcome. Build the infrastructure. Expand capacity. Improve facilities. Attract airlines. Grow passenger numbers. And competitiveness will follow.
The reality is rarely that straightforward.
Over the years, one observation that has stayed with me is that the airports that perform well consistently, rarely rely on a single advantage. More often, they are getting several things right at the same time. That may sound obvious, but it has important implications, because in aviation there is no single lever that guarantees success...
