Flight cancelled in West Africa: which rules protect you, country by country

By the Robin des Airs Editorial Team · Published October 27, 2026 · Sources reviewed: official texts from the NCAA (Nigeria), the GCAA (Ghana) and the SLCAA (Sierra Leone), UEMOA Regulation 03/2003 · Documentary check: October 27, 2026

Quick answer

Flight cancelled in West Africa: quick answer

The rules that apply depend first on the departure airport, but also, depending on the regime, on the airline operating the flight and on the circumstances. The same journey can fall under several rules.
UEMOA (8 countries): on a cancellation you choose between a refund and rerouting; compensation applies only under conditions, it is not an automatic flat sum.
Ghana: the 2019 GCAA directives provide at least US$60 on a cancelled domestic flight. Their current applicability under the 2024 law is to be confirmed.
Nigeria and Sierra Leone: at least 25% (domestic) or 30% (international) of the ticket price on a cancellation, unless notice, adequate rerouting or extraordinary circumstances.
The Gambia, Liberia, Guinea, Cabo Verde: no specific national text identified in our sources. Check case by case.
If your flight involves Europe, we check free of charge which text may apply.

At a glance: which text applies, by departure airport

Your flight departs from...	Text	Cancellation: cash compensation?
Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo	UEMOA Regulation 03/2003 (20 March 2003)	Refund or rerouting; compensation only under conditions (see below)
Ghana	GCAA consumer protection directives (June 2019). Current applicability to be confirmed under the 2024 law	Under these directives: at least US$60 on a domestic flight, unless 3 days' notice or extraordinary circumstances
Nigeria	NCAR Part 19 (April 2023)	At least 25% of the ticket domestic, 30% international, unless notice, adequate rerouting or extraordinary circumstances
Sierra Leone	SLCAR Part 20B (in force 5 February 2024)	Same percentages as Nigeria, under the same conditions
The Gambia, Liberia, Guinea, Cabo Verde	No specific national text identified in our sources at the date of this update	Not confirmed: check case by case
An airport in the European Union, or arrival in the Union on a European airline	EU261/2004	Up to €600 depending on distance, if the eligibility conditions are met

Method: documentary check carried out on 27 October 2026 against the documents published by the authorities concerned, unless stated otherwise.

The departure airport criterion, and its limits

The texts below apply first to the flight that takes off from the country concerned. A Paris-Dakar flight is not protected by the UEMOA regulation just because Dakar is the destination: that direction is examined under EU261, with its own conditions. In the other direction, a Dakar-Paris flight may fall under both the UEMOA regulation and EU261 if the airline is European. In every case, check each text's scope before working out what you are owed.

The eight UEMOA countries: Regulation 03/2003

UEMOA Regulation No. 03/2003/CM/UEMOA covers passengers whose flight departs from an airport in Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal or Togo, whatever the airline. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have left ECOWAS but remain in UEMOA, so the text still covers them.

Denied boarding (overbooking): 100,000 CFA francs economy and 200,000 business up to 2,500 km; 400,000 economy and 800,000 business beyond, capped at the ticket price (Article 4).
Cancellation: those amounts are not an automatic flat sum. You first choose between a refund and rerouting. Article 6 then refers to the compensation provided for denied boarding, but only if you presented yourself at check-in under the required conditions, no acceptable alternative was offered, and the airline cannot prove exceptional circumstances.
Significant delay: 3 hours up to 2,500 km, 5 hours beyond, with assistance (communications, meals, a hotel if a night is needed) (Articles 7 and 8).

These provisions were read on a transcription of the regulation: for an official quotation, the UEMOA Official Journal is authoritative. Full details are in our guide to UEMOA Regulation 03/2003 (in French).

Ghana: GCAA directives

The GCAA economic directives (June 2019, "Consumer Protection" part, official text) cover flights departing a Ghanaian airport. For a cancelled domestic flight, they provide that the airline must:

offer you a refund (within 7 days) or rerouting;
look after you while you wait: meals, a hotel and transport if a night is needed, two free calls or e-mails;
pay compensation of at least US$60, in cedis, unless you were told of the cancellation at least 3 days before departure or it proves extraordinary circumstances.

For international flights, compensation is US$200, US$400 or US$600 depending on distance. Complaints go first to the airline, then to the GCAA Passenger Complaints Portal.

Important caveat

These directives date from 2019 and were made under the former Ghanaian law, replaced in 2024 by Act 1120. The 2024 bill kept existing directives in force, but we could not read the final text. The GCAA still publishes them, which makes them a reference point, but that alone does not settle how they fit with the 2024 law: check their current applicability with the GCAA.

More in our guide Ghana: GCAA rules and Act 1120.

Nigeria: NCAA Part 19

Part 19 of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (April 2023, official text) applies to flights departing Nigeria, to flights to Nigeria in some cases, and to segments departing Nigeria on foreign flights. For a cancellation, compensation is at least 25% of the ticket price on domestic flights and 30% on international flights. Three things decide what you receive:

Notice. No compensation if you were told at least 24 hours before departure (domestic) or 7 days before (international). The airline has to prove when it informed you.
Rerouting. If the airline reroutes you with an arrival within one hour of the original time (domestic) or three hours (international), it may halve the compensation.
Extraordinary circumstances. No compensation if the airline proves they caused the cancellation and it could not have avoided it despite all reasonable measures.

For a delayed domestic flight, the airline must offer refreshments after 2 hours, a refund or rerouting beyond 3 hours, a hotel and transport between 10 pm and 4 am, and compensation beyond 6 hours of delay. To complain to the NCAA you must first have written to the airline, then attach your ticket, your letter and its replies. More in our guide Nigeria: NCAA Part 19 and EU261, and the case Lagos-Paris flight delay.

Sierra Leone: Part 20B

Sierra Leone published its own regulation, SLCAR Part 20B, in force since 5 February 2024 (official text). For cancellations it follows the same grid as Nigeria: at least 25% of the ticket domestic, 30% international, with the same three elements (24-hour or 7-day notice, halving in case of rerouting close to the original time, exception for extraordinary circumstances proven by the airline). On a delayed domestic flight, the airline owes refreshments after 2 hours and a refund beyond 3 hours. Complaints also go to the airline first, then to the civil aviation authority, with your ticket, your letter and the replies received. For a Freetown departure, see Freetown flight delay compensation.

The Gambia, Liberia, Guinea, Cabo Verde: no text identified

No specific national text on compensation for delays or cancellations was identified in the sources we consulted at the date of this update. That does not prove none exists: we simply have not read one, and we will not invent amounts. Your rights have to be checked case by case. For Cabo Verde, an ICAO document says the regulation is modelled on ICAO principles, but we could not consult it.

Two reference points remain solid: the Montreal Convention, which covers international flights and compensates the harm actually suffered and proven, and EU261 if the European conditions are met (see our EU261 guide). The Gambia is covered in Banjul flight delay compensation.

And ECOWAS itself?

ECOWAS guarantees free movement of people, but that does not protect your flight on its own. An ICAO document mentions an ECOWAS "Supplementary Act" on passenger compensation, but we have not found its official text. We therefore quote no amount that would come from it.

How to claim, whatever the country

Write to the airline, asking what the applicable text provides (refund, new flight, care, compensation). Keep a copy.
Keep your documents: ticket, boarding pass, cancellation message, receipts for meals or hotel.
No answer? Contact the civil aviation authority of the departure country, with your ticket, your letter and the replies received.

If your flight involves Europe, we check free of charge which text may apply, including when the answer is "no amount".

Sources

Level 1: official texts read

Level 2: for UEMOA and the European side

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a single ECOWAS regulation for air passengers?

We could not consult any ECOWAS text on this. An ICAO document mentions a "Supplementary Act" on passenger compensation, but we have not found its official text, so we quote no amount from it. In practice, UEMOA rules and each country's own rules apply first.

My Lagos-Accra flight was cancelled: which rules apply?

First, those of the departure country, so Nigeria. Part 19 of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (April 2023) covers flights departing Nigeria, whatever the airline. For a cancellation it provides at least 25% of the ticket price on a domestic flight and 30% on an international flight, unless sufficient notice was given or the airline proves extraordinary circumstances.

My Dakar-Paris flight was cancelled: UEMOA or EU261?

Both regimes may be involved. UEMOA Regulation 03/2003 covers flights departing from one of its eight member states, including Senegal. EU261/2004 may also apply if the airline is European, because the flight arrives in the Union. You cannot be compensated twice for the same harm: check the scope of each text for your flight.

How is compensation calculated in Nigeria and Sierra Leone?

It is a percentage of the ticket, not a fixed sum. Purely arithmetical example, with no guarantee: on a domestic ticket of 100,000 local currency units, 25% gives 25,000, if every condition of the text is met. The airline may halve the amount if it reroutes you with an arrival close to your original time.

Is there a time limit to claim?

For UEMOA, the Community Civil Aviation Code (Article 219) sets two years from arrival. For Ghana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone we did not find a time limit in the texts we read. Claim quickly and keep your written exchanges with the airline.

What about The Gambia, Liberia, Guinea or Cabo Verde?

No specific national text was identified in our sources at the date of this update, which does not prove that none exists. For an international flight, the Montreal Convention may apply, and EU261 if the European conditions are met. Your rights have to be checked case by case: write to the airline first.

General information. This article is an educational summary of the texts cited, drawn from the documents available at the date shown. It is not personalised advice. Robin des Airs specialises in EU261 claims on the Europe-Africa axis. If your flight falls only under a national regime, we tell you which text appears to apply and the steps to take with the airline and the competent authority, but we do not handle the claim ourselves. Amounts and thresholds are indicative and may change: check the version in force with the authority of the country concerned before relying on a specific figure.