In June, The New Times argued that open skies should become Africa's next great economic reform. Few would disagree. More flights, greater competition and easier movement of people are indispensable to trade, tourism and investment. The economic case has long been settled. The more pressing question is why, over two decades since African states adopted the Yamoussoukro Decision, ordinary Africans are still waiting to experience its promise. ALSO READ: What will it take for low-cost airlines to succeed in Africa? Consider the journey between Kigali and Nairobi, two of East Africa's leading commercial and diplomatic centres that champion regional integration and free movement of people and goods. Yet passengers can find themselves paying nearly US$800 for a return ticket on a flight lasting barely 90 minutes. Limited frequencies, periodic cancellations and few practical alternatives often turn what should be a routine regional journey into an expensive exercise in patience. ALSO READ: Open skies must become Africa’s next economic reform The contrast is difficult to ignore. Travellers who book in advance can often secure return fares from Nairobi to New York for under US$ 1,000, while a five-hour journey from Nairobi to Dubai is frequently priced within reach of, or only modestly above, some short-haul regional African routes. Markets differ and fares fluctuate, but when a flight lasting less than two hours begins to rival the cost of travelling halfway across the world, passengers are entitled to ask whether something more than economics is at play. ALSO READ: What will it take for Africa to achieve open skies? Adopted in 1999, the landmark agreement committed African states to liberalising air transport, opening markets to African competition and placing connectivity at the heart of continental integration. The expectation was simple: more competition would create more routes, more frequencies, greater consumer choice and, ultimately, more affordable travel. Open skies were never just about aviation, they were about making Africa more accessible to Africans. Over two decades later, the ordinary traveller is still asking a simple question: what happened? The conversation surrounding African aviation has increasingly become one of announcements rather than outcomes. Every new code-share agreement is welcomed as another milestone for integration. Strategic partnerships are launched, memoranda of understanding signed. Airlines speak of expanded networks and seamless connectivity. Yet passengers continue to pay high fares while navigating limited choices and disrupted schedules. Code-sharing has its place. It allows airlines to extend their commercial reach and improve network planning. But it was never intended to replace genuine market liberalisation. Two airlines selling seats on the same aircraft do not necessarily create more competition, lower fares or provide additional capacity. A passenger cannot board a press release. The Yamoussoukro Decision did not promise better public relations between airlines. It promised competition. It promised access. It promised consumer choice. Above all, it promised to place the African passenger at the centre of Africa's aviation future. Somewhere along the journey, Africa began celebrating airline partnerships instead of asking why new airlines still struggle to enter many African markets freely. This is not an indictment of national carriers, nor a dismissal of the realities facing the aviation industry. Fleet acquisition, maintenance, insurance, infrastructure and regulatory compliance all influence the cost of flying. But these are challenges faced by airlines across the world. They cannot permanently explain why neighbouring African capitals remain among the most expensive city pairs to connect. Perhaps it is time to return to the air roots (pun intended) of that vision. Not another summit. Not another declaration. But a practical commitment by transport ministries, civil aviation authorities, airport operators, national carriers and industry specialists to revisit a decades-old promise and ask why implementation continues to lag behind ambition. The success of Africa's open skies agenda should no longer be counted in the number of agreements signed, but in whether the African passenger finally comes first. Africa's integration should not be gauged by the number of communiqués issued or conferences convened. Its true test lies in whether entrepreneurs can reach neighbouring markets, students can pursue opportunities, tourists can discover the continent with ease and families can travel without unnecessary financial barriers. The Yamoussoukro Decision needs renewed implementation, because over two decades is far too long to wait for Africa's skies to finally open. The writer is a communications specialist and strategist.
