Houston leaders work to establish direct flights to Africa

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Houston officials, and busiuness exercutives are visiting parts of West Africa this week to expand nilaterl relations incldugin potential direct flights and creating consulate offices.

Brett Coomer/Staff photographer

The Government of Nigeria and Houston officials are discussing creating a Bilateral Air Services Agreement for a potential direct flight from Houston to Nigeria in an effort to expand bilateral relations. Since Monday, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has been on a trade mission visiting parts of West Africa, including Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, and Ghana.

According to Albert Akota at People’s Daily, the Permanent Secretary Dr. Emmanuel Meribole told Turner an agreement between the nations would launch after new Ministers were “appointed and deployed appropriately.”

In addition to creating an agreement for a direct flight from Nigeria to Houston, Turner said he aims to create consulate offices in each of the three countries, noting specifically Houston has one of the largest Nigerian populations in the U.S.

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“Our goal of the trade mission is to further build on the already strong political ties between all three countries, to find new economic opportunities for Houston companies in Africa, and to find opportunities for these international companies to do business right here in the great city of Houston,” Turner said in a press conference.

According to U.S. Census data, more than 60,000 Nigerian people call Houston home. Between 2010 and 2021, Houston’s Nigerian population grew by 40,000 in the Bayou City. Currently, there are no direct flights between Houston and any African nation. Those wishing to travel from Houston to Nigeria currently face a minimum 17-hour journey featuring layovers in such places as Istanbul, Turkey or Frankfurt, Germany.

Ambassador of Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs Akinyemi Bolaji said Nigeria would prioritize Houston as a potential place for a consulate office. This week’s trade mission marks Turner’s second trip to Africa since he came into office in 2015. Turner’s first visit was to South Africa in 2016. City officials and business executives from the Texas Medical Center, Chevron, Haliburton, and Port Houston area accompanied the mayor as well.