Summarising the last few years, Kenya Airways cargo director Dick Murianki says that there was a big demand for air cargo in Africa at outbreak of the Covid pandemic because basics like food and medical supplies were urgently needed.

Last year, there was also ocean shipping and general supply chain disruption as an offshoot of the pandemic. This again resulted in heightened demand for freighters.

To meet the demand, Kenya Airways switched two of its B787-9s to a preighter configuration with passenger seats removed, while it also operates two B737-300Fs.

Inflation and higher fuel prices have also dampened demand for Kenyan exports in Europe.

“People are concerned about the economy,” Murianki says. “One of the things we keep hearing is that power bills have gone up and so has the cost of living, so things like flowers and vegetables that they would ordinarily have been buying, they are cutting down on.”

To adapt to the changing market, Murianki says that Kenyan Airways Cargo is diversifying away from traditional flows.

Another positive development for the continent is the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).

AfCFTA is the world’s largest free trade area bringing together the 55 countries of the African Union and eight Regional Economic Communities.

The overall mandate of the AfCFTA is to create a single continental market with a combined GDP of approximately $3.4trn. It aims to eliminate trade barriers and boost intra-Africa trade.

However, for the agreement to be a success, it is essential that air cargo policy at a country level is enhanced to ease the movement of goods between countries.