A Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) aircraft landed in Zamfara State, northwest Nigeria, for the first time following the opening of the new Gusau International Airport. This marks an important milestone in improving access to communities across the state and strengthening the delivery of healthcare and humanitarian assistance.
The new airport is expected to significantly reduce travel time for MSF teams, allowing medical staff, emergency personnel, and essential supplies to reach project locations more quickly and reliably. Faster access is particularly critical during medical emergencies, disease outbreaks, and periods of increased humanitarian need, where delays can directly affect patient care and response capacity.
Improved air access will also strengthen MSF’s logistics operations by facilitating the faster movement of medicines, medical equipment, nutritional supplies, and other critical resources needed to support healthcare activities across Zamfara. With more efficient transportation links, MSF teams will be better positioned to maintain continuity of care and respond rapidly to urgent medical needs in remote and hard-to-reach communities.
Before the opening of the airport in Gusau, Sokoto was previously the only air access point for operations in Zamfara.
In Zamfara, MSF supports the State Ministry of Health by providing healthcare services in four hospitals and 16 clinics across Shinkafi, Zurmi, Gummi, and Talata Mafara local government areas. MSF activities include paediatric care, maternity and newborn services, mental health support, treatment of malnutrition, and emergency medical care.
