By Reporter

The Federal Government has commenced plans to seek compensation from the South African government for Nigerians who were forced to abandon businesses, homes and other assets amid recurring anti-immigrant protests in the country.

The Acting Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa, Alexander Ajayi, disclosed this during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, saying Nigerian authorities have begun documenting businesses and properties left behind by citizens returning home voluntarily.

According to Ajayi, the exercise forms part of a broader strategy to engage South African authorities on compensation for economic losses suffered by Nigerians displaced by the latest wave of anti-immigrant tensions.

He explained that many Nigerians opted to return before planned protests escalated, prompting the government to immediately begin compiling an inventory of their abandoned assets.

“In terms of the businesses, just three days ago, myself and the South African Deputy Minister of Finance were together and we were discussing this. I took up the discussion with her and we have agreed that we are going to ask our people who are returning to begin to document what they are leaving behind,” Ajayi said.

“I have asked them before they left yesterday to document very accurately those things they were leaving behind in terms of businesses, in terms of even cars, movable and immovable properties. We can now take it up with the South African government. That is the next step we are going to take.”

He stressed that the government’s intervention would extend beyond evacuating affected citizens.

“This repatriation will not end with just taking people to Nigeria. We are going to systematically follow up on the information given to us… because we are going to work with the South African government to get to the exact locations of all these businesses, shops and properties and present them to the South African government for possible compensation because we will not allow the labour people have suffered to build over the years to just go down the drain or be taken over by people,” he added.

Ajayi also challenged claims that most Nigerians in South Africa are undocumented migrants, arguing that many entered the country legally but became victims of prolonged administrative delays in the country’s immigration system.

“In the last three or four years there have been a deluge of applications at the South African Home Office which were not attended to due to systemic issues. So, because of this many, not only Nigerian nationals, were caught in this web of delay,” he said.

He maintained that many Nigerians awaiting permit renewals or residency documentation should not be classified as undocumented, noting that some applications had remained pending for years.

The move comes as dozens of Nigerians sought refuge at the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria following fears of renewed xenophobic violence linked to planned anti-immigrant demonstrations.

A video circulated by News Central on Monday showed scores of Nigerians gathered at the mission, with women and children reportedly given priority accommodation while awaiting evacuation arrangements.

Foreign affairs and international law experts say Nigeria’s move signals a stronger diplomatic response to recurring xenophobic incidents but caution that securing compensation may prove challenging.

A former Nigerian diplomat, Olujimi Olusanya, said any compensation process would require comprehensive documentation linking losses directly to violence or the failure of authorities to provide adequate protection.

“The success of such claims will depend largely on credible evidence, diplomatic negotiations and the willingness of South African authorities to address the grievances through established legal and bilateral mechanisms,” he said.

Similarly, international relations analyst Kabiru Adamu noted that while states have a responsibility to protect all lawful residents within their borders, compensation claims are often resolved through negotiations rather than litigation.

He added that the documentation exercise announced by the Nigerian High Commission would strengthen the government’s position during discussions with South African officials.

Analysts also argue that beyond compensation, the recurring incidents underscore the need for Nigeria and South Africa to deepen cooperation on migrant protection, law enforcement and early-warning mechanisms to prevent future outbreaks of xenophobic violence.

The latest development comes against the backdrop of repeated attacks on foreign nationals in South Africa over the past decade, incidents that have periodically strained diplomatic relations between Africa’s two largest economies and raised concerns over the safety of migrants and foreign-owned businesses.

Reporter

African airlines recorded the strongest air cargo demand growth of any region in the world in May 2026, outperforming global peers as expanding trade and resilient demand along the Africa–Asia corridor continued to boost the continent’s aviation sector.

According to the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) latest Air Cargo Market report, African carriers posted a 13.3 per cent year-on-year increase in cargo demand in May, more than double the 6.0 per cent global growth recorded during the same period.

Despite the strong demand, cargo capacity among African airlines rose by just 1.3 per cent, highlighting continued pressure on available freight space.

“African airlines saw a 13.3 per cent year-on-year increase in demand for air cargo in May, the strongest performance of all regions. Capacity increased by 1.3 per cent year-on-year,” IATA said.

Globally, total air cargo demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometres (CTK), increased by 6.0 per cent compared with May 2025, while international cargo demand rose 6.5 per cent. Total cargo capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometres (ACTK), grew by 1.9 per cent globally and 2.8 per cent for international operations.

IATA attributed the overall growth to stronger global trade and manufacturing activity, despite continuing geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty.

Global trade expanded by 5.0 per cent year-on-year in May, marking the 25th consecutive month of annual growth, while manufacturing activity remained in expansion territory.

However, the association noted that export demand remained relatively weak. Although the Global Manufacturing Output Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose to 53.5, the New Export Orders Index remained below the 50-point threshold at 49.6, suggesting that cargo growth was concentrated in specific trade lanes rather than reflecting broad-based export expansion.

North American airlines recorded the second-fastest cargo demand growth, with volumes increasing 10.5 per cent, followed by Asia-Pacific (8.0 per cent) and Europe (6.7 per cent). Latin American and Caribbean carriers posted a modest 1.9 per cent increase.

The Middle East was the only region to record a decline, with cargo demand falling 8.9 per cent and capacity dropping 9.2 per cent as regional conflict continued to disrupt cargo operations and trade flows.

Across major trade routes, the Asia–North America corridor recorded the strongest cargo growth in May, followed by Africa–Asia, intra-Europe and Europe–Asia. In contrast, Gulf-linked trade corridors remained significantly affected by the conflict in the Middle East.

Jet fuel prices declined by 16.3 per cent month-on-month in May, easing operating costs for airlines, although prices remained 93.5 per cent higher than a year earlier.

The latest figures extend Africa’s strong performance in global air cargo markets throughout 2026. African airlines recorded demand growth of 18.2 per cent in January, 21 per cent in February, 7.0 per cent in March and 7.7 per cent in April, underscoring sustained momentum driven largely by growing trade volumes between Africa and Asia.

The upward trend also reflects gains recorded toward the end of 2025, when African carriers posted double-digit cargo growth in both November and December, reinforcing the continent’s emergence as one of the fastest-growing regions in the global air freight market.