CRFFN Initiates Cabotage Policy That Restricts Freight Forwarders’ Registration To Nigerian Citizens
The Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of Council for the Registration of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), Mr. Kingsley Igwe says his council is working on a cabotage policy, containing a restriction of registration of freight forwarders in Nigeria to Nigerian citizens alone.
Speaking during the panel discussion session at the DCDS Operational Stakeholders’ Engagement organized by the Directorate of Cargo Development and Services (DCDS) of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) held in Lagos, Igwe said under the policy, “you cannot be a forwarder in Nigeria without being a Nigerian citizen. You must prove you are a Nigerian citizen before you can be issued a license.”
He said Nigeria losses not less than $6 billion yearly to foreign freight forwarding companies in Nigeria and that Nigerian freight forwarders are not given access to funding as the business is capital intensive, citing that a brand new truck costs $250 million.
He noted that a gap exists between the sea ports and airports in Nigeria as there is no proper oversight for documents, adding that freight forwarders need to enhance their knowledge. He said CRFFN is working with FAAN to provide training for freight forwarders in Nigeria.
He called for inter-agency collaboration among establishments at Nigeria’s airports to improve timeliness in cargo delivery. Igwe said enhanced collaboration between Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), FAAN and other agencies at the airports will help the system.
He further said the cargo value chain is by nature, collaborative and that one of the most critical enablers of effective collaboration is regulatory coherence. He emphasized the need for capacity building for freight forwarders, stating that no air cargo system can be world class if it is fragmented. He advised the Nigeria Customs service to organize training for its licensed agents.
“A world class cargo ecosystem is built on a world class peopled system,” he said, encouraging various agencies to establish joint task force teams so that “together, we can reduce delays and improve compliance.”
Theme of the programme was Building A World Class Air Cargo System.
