Travel/Tourism
Sustaining Nigeria’s Transport Sector Using Technology
An efficient transportation sector facilitates exchanges that result in the improvements of lives and economies globally. Every day, transport stakeholders develop new ways that support the sustainability of this sector. This stems from the knowledge that the movement of humans, goods and services remains a fundamental part of a country’s economy, and extensively, global economic growth.
In the third-quarter economic performance report for 2021 released by the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the growth in the non-oil sector cannot be overlooked, with the transportation sector also making significant leaps in the quarter, making it one of the fastest-growing sectors in Nigeria in Q3 2021.
The modes of transportation that made these impressive contributions to the economy were rail transport and pipeline (59.93 per cent), air transport (33.31 per cent), road transport (21.11 per cent), and water transport (16.30 per cent). For a country with over 200 million people, the need for a robust means of transportation cannot be overemphasized.
And this guides the federal government’s decision to put initiatives in place to close the gap in the transportation sector through a multi-modal transport system. Although these initiatives are yet to be unveiled, the Lagos State Government has embarked on its own ambitious multi-modal transport system in a bid to upgrade the state to smart city status.
According to the state government, there is fund available to complete the various projects, including the creation of rail lines for intracity trips and other works that will put the proper infrastructure in place for an efficient transport system in the state. To further drive this conversation on the importance of building a sustainable transport system in the metropolis, the Lagos Transport Fest, held on December 13, 2021, drawing stakeholders from both the public and private sector to discuss the way forward in improving Nigeria’s transport system.
The event focused on every aspect of transportation including road, rail, logistics, and ports, noting the importance of a cross-sector partnership to develop the transport sector. In the outline of the event’s agenda, one element made a repeated appearance: technology.
This highlights the fact that technology can bring about changes in the operations of businesses within the rail, maritime, aviation, and road modes of transportation. Technology has continued to prove itself a force to reckon with, evident in the unprecedented changes it has produced across sectors, and the transport sector in Nigeria is not any different.
These perceived and observed changes have led to a steady rise in its utilization, as digitization of processes in various economic quarters has become not just widely accepted but even encouraged. Speaking along these lines was one of the event’s sponsors, Interswitch, Africa’s leading digital payment company, who noted the effect of innovation on the country’s transport sector would increase accessibility to safe payment methods and the attendant ease for commuters.
The need for digitization in the transportation business became notable during the heat of the pandemic, as innovators devised new ways to conduct their businesses without the need for physical contact between individuals. This was especially observed in the logistics sector which saw more companies adopting technological solutions while minimizing physical contact.
In developed countries, other solutions such as robotics, drones, the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) swiftly became a replacement for humans to reduce human contact and by extension, the spread of the virus.
Transportation and the AfCFTA
It would almost be remiss if there was no mention of Intra-African trade through the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), which is expected to facilitate stronger trading relations between countries on the African continent. With this in view, experts have highlighted the deficits in the transportation sector that could hinder Nigeria – Africa’s current leading economy – from accessing its full potential, relegating it behind other smaller African nations with better systems in place.
However, giving reassurances of the country’s readiness to participate in this monumental intra-continental trade, the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, said, at a 2-day conference, that the federal government had taken seriously the business of transportation.
He noted that “The transportation sector is the most critical in implementing trade facilitation, enhancing regional integration is key to every other AfCFTA protocol. Hence, the Nigerian government has embarked on huge transport infrastructure investment across the country to ensure efficiency in the transportation sector.”
He also highlighted the importance of digitization in the sector as one of the major elements that require a sturdy infrastructure for successful intra-continental trading. The minister noted that his ministry was dedicated to improving digital services in the transport system through the automation of services.
In the same vein, analysts are projecting a boost in free trade in Africa through digitization. With about 36 countries ratified onto the AfCFTA, it is estimated that over 1 billion consumers on the African continent, with a growing Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $3.4 trillion will be integrated.
However, the ever-fluctuating, dollar-reliant exchange rate system on the continent remains a challenge to trade within the continent. To address this, the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), in collaboration with the West African Monetary Institute (WAMI), developed the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) to facilitate cross-border payment between traders in Africa, which would involve participating central banks.
Interswitch, through some of its brands, has continued to enhance cross border payments – Quickteller, a borderless digital payment solution service and Verve card, a payment card issued in 8 African countries with acceptance in over 22 countries on the continent. These services and products are aiding payment between African traders, removing transaction barriers.
To take full advantage of this untapped market, countries would need to develop better transport infrastructure and systems and fortify payment systems to lessen the stress that comes with it, which will help to properly connect markets across the continent and achieve the overarching goal of a prosperous continent.
Enormous opportunities abound in the transport sector, but to tap into these there is the need for a concerted effort from stakeholders in both the public and private sectors to ensure that consumers have seamless experiences while moving goods, services, people and payments across borders.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has appealed to aviation unions to suspend their ongoing industrial action and exercise restraint as efforts continue to resolve the dispute.
In a statement, the NCAA said it was aware of the impact of the industrial action on passengers and other stakeholders in the aviation sector.
The authority urged the unions to “sheathe their swords” pending the return of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, who it said had been actively working towards resolving the issues.
According to the NCAA, the matter was expected to be addressed at a meeting convened by the minister last week, but the meeting could not take place after airline operators failed to honour the invitation.
The NCAA assured passengers that flight safety remains uncompromised, stressing that it continues to carry out its statutory safety oversight responsibilities.
The authority called on all parties to embrace dialogue and cooperation, expressing confidence that the dispute would be resolved shortly and normal flight operations restored as soon as practicable.
“We appeal to all parties to embrace dialogue and cooperation. We are confident that the matter will be resolved shortly and normal flight operations will resume as soon as practicable,” the statement signed by the NCAA Director-General, Captain Chris Ona Najomo, said.
The NCAA also apologised to passengers for the inconvenience caused by the industrial action and thanked them for their patience and understanding.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
To help travellers move from trip intent to search, comparison and planning through natural conversation, Radisson Hotel Group has partnered with Accenture to introduce an AI-powered hotel discovery app in ChatGPT.
The launch marks an important step in Radisson Hotel Group’s move toward agentic commerce, a shift from traditional, channel-based booking journeys to AI-led experiences where discovery, comparison, and decision-making happen through conversation.
As travellers increasingly turn to AI to ask questions, narrow down options, and plan trips, hospitality brands need to be visible, accurate, and actionable at the moment of intent.
Available as @RadissonHotels in ChatGPT, the app enables users to search for Radisson Hotels properties across over 100 countries and more than 1,000 hotels through natural conversation.
By starting a new ChatGPT conversation with @RadissonHotels at the start of the prompt, travellers can ask for advice to plan a family-friendly weekend stay in Amsterdam, or a hotel in Paris with a gym and spa near the Eiffel Tower.
The app will respond with relevant Radisson Hotels properties with live inventory and rates, location context, amenities, hotel details, and interactive map-based results. When ready, travellers are directed to complete the reservation through the Radisson Hotels website.
Commenting on the development, the chief commercial officer of Radisson Hotel Group, Gianni Di Fede, said, “AI is radically transforming how people search for and book hotel stays, and we are committed to being at the forefront of this shift.
“With Accenture, we are reimagining hotel discovery for the next generation of travellers—meeting guests in the planning moment with a branded experience that makes it easier to find, compare, and book Radisson Hotels properties.”
Also commenting, the chief executive of Accenture, Ndidi Oteh, said, “Agentic commerce is fundamentally changing how people discover and choose brands. As journeys become more conversational and intent-driven, companies have to rethink how they show up — not just to be found, but to be chosen, and to deliver value in that moment.
“Radisson Hotel Group is taking a step in that direction, creating a more direct and meaningful way to connect with travellers when decisions are being made.”
The senior managing director and global Travel lead for Accenture, Emily Weiss, said, “With travel, planning is becoming easier for consumers, but more competitive for brands.
“Travellers want to compare options quickly, narrow down choices and book with confidence, often in a single journey. That puts pressure on brands to show up with accurate, up-to-date, and easy-to-navigate information at every step.
“With Radisson Hotel Group, the focus was on making hotel content more accessible, so travellers can find what they need, explore options, and move to booking more seamlessly.”
As traditional travel and second-residency destinations like London and Paris become increasingly restrictive and expensive, forward-thinking African investors are shifting their gaze, with Greece quietly emerging as the most strategic, high-value decision a Nigerian traveller or wealth-builder can make.
There is a version of Europe that Nigerians have been selling for decades, which is London, Paris and maybe Amsterdam. They are familiar, expensive and are becoming increasingly difficult to get into. Greece is the counter-argument. Older than all of them, more beautiful than most and, right now, quietly becoming one of the smartest moves an African traveller or investor, can make.
Greece: The Country
Greece is one of the few places in the world that earns every photograph taken of it. The Aegean in full summer light is genuinely that colour. The ruins are genuinely that old. The food is genuinely good. What makes Greece remarkable as a destination, however, is not a single thing, but a range of things.
Athens is a capital city carrying the full weight of Western civilisation on its back, and somehow still functioning as a modern, energetic place to actually live. The Acropolis sits above a neighbourhood of rooftop bars, vinyl record shops and restaurants where you eat well for a fraction of what you would spend in Rome. Santorini delivers on every expectation; Mykonos runs at a different frequency entirely. It is unapologetically cosmopolitan, built for people who want the Mediterranean and the party in the same week. Crete, the largest island, holds its own world: ancient Minoan ruins, dramatic gorges, a food culture distinct from the rest of Greece and enough coastline to spend a fortnight without repeating a beach.
Beyond the names, there are another two hundred inhabited islands. Some of the best experiences in Greece happen on the ones nobody has heard of.
Why It Works for Nigerians Specifically
Greek food is generous and deeply flavoured: grilled seafood, slow-cooked lamb, and wine that costs almost nothing. For a Nigerian palate, it lands. The country is safe, the English penetration in tourist areas is high, and the culture has genuine warmth toward visitors rather than a transactional tolerance of them.
Practically, Greece is also better value than the European destinations Nigerians typically default to. A week in Athens and one of the islands costs significantly less than an equivalent week in London or Paris, with a better climate and more to actually see.
Getting There and Getting In
There are no direct flights from Lagos or Abuja to Athens. Connections run through Istanbul on Turkish Airlines, Dubai on Emirates, or Addis Ababa on Ethiopian, with total journey times from around ten hours. Turkish Airlines tends to offer the most competitive fares on this corridor. Nigerian passport holders require a Schengen visa, which covers up to 90 days across the entire Schengen zone, implying that a Greece trip can roll into Italy or France on the same document.
The Bigger Play: Residency Through Property
For Nigerians who have spent years watching London prices climb past £500,000 and US investor visas demand upwards of $800,000 in complex, job-creating commitments, Greece quietly offers something the others have stopped offering: a clear, property-linked path to EU residency that actually works.
The Golden Visa programme is the mechanism. With a minimum real estate investment starting from €250,000, the Greek Golden Visa provides the lowest entry point, compared to other European residency schemes. Invest in qualifying Greek real estate, and you receive a five-year renewable EU residence permit for yourself, your spouse, your children and both sets of parents. No minimum stay or points system or lottery. It is simply ownership. And after seven years of continuous residency, a Greek and, therefore, EU passport becomes a genuine possibility.
The investment returns are real too. Athens property prices rose 8.5% in 2024 alone. Rental yields average 4–5% annually in the city, with stronger returns during peak tourism periods. New-build properties currently carry an exemption from the standard 24% VAT, reducing upfront costs considerably. For Nigerians looking to move wealth out of naira exposure and into a hard currency, income-generating asset in a stable EU market, the numbers are not incidental; they are the point.
But here is where most people get stuck: the fear of getting it wrong. Stories of fraudulent intermediaries, unclear property titles, and lost investments have made many Nigerians hesitant about putting serious money into foreign real estate. That hesitation is legitimate.
It is also exactly what MIBS Group was built to resolve. With over 50 years of experience as a real estate developer in Greece and deep expertise in the Golden Visa process, MIBS Group handles the full journey for African investors, from identifying and acquiring the right property through the visa application itself to rental management once the investment is in place. They understand both the Greek market and the specific concerns of Nigerian and African buyers. With the recent opening of their Lagos office, MIBS Group has strengthened its presence in Nigeria, offering face-to-face support and serving as a reliable local partner for Nigerian investors throughout their investment journey. That combination- high-end properties and end-to-end trusted guidance- is what turns a complicated cross-border investment into a straightforward, protected transaction.
Where other destinations keep raising the bar, Greece keeps the door open. And with MIBS Group, Nigerians can walk through it with confidence.
The Case Closed
Greece earns the attention it is getting. It is beautiful in a way that requires no filter and no curation. It is historically significant in a way that makes everywhere else feel recent. And right now, it is one of the few European countries offering Africans a genuinely accessible path, not just to visit, but to belong.
