(Posted 27th November 2023)
The lingering problem of delays and multiple charges for cargo at the airport will soon be a thing of the past. This is according to the MD CEO of FAAN Alhaji Kabir Yusuf Mohammed, IAP. The MD of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria FAAN assured the Aviacargo Roadmap committee that it’s observation and recommendations will be implemented. This was at the monthly briefing to the MD by the Coordinator of the Committee Ambassador Ikechi Uko.
In his presentation Ambassador Uko told the MD that they could not make presentations in the last months because of the field trip embarked upon by the Committee. He said that the 5 stage project plan has only two legs left to complete the job and seeks the support of the MD to proceed with the remaining parts of the job. This will include collation and report writing of the findings by subject matter experts. He identified 10 points that have being identified by the Committee for implementation. Among the highlights of his presentation includes the FAAN cargo bill of rights that guarantees the swift, transparent and efficient handling of any good that steps into any Nigerian airport.
The designated cargo village he said will transform unknown goods to known Goods. “Nigerian exports are rejected because they are unknown and cannot be traced. So the job of the Aviacargo Village is to transform unknown or unsecured goods to known goods before export. This is the global standard and should be enforced in Nigeria,” said Ambassador Uko. Nigeria has successfully implemented IATA IOSA for airlines and should establish a similar thing for players in the cargo ecosystem. He identified levels of registration and certification needed for the industry starting from farm registration to certification of cargo agents, handling companies and freight forwarders.
After receiving the presentation, the MD thanked the committee for it’s selfless commitment to the delivery of a new aviacargo environment in Nigeria. He promised to support the development of new standard operating procedures for the operators in the cargo terminals in Nigeria. FAAN will also implement a new service level agreements that will overhaul the whole cargo operations in Nigeria. By implementing the Cargo Bill of Rights, the new SOPs and SLAs the airports will effectively become a corruption free zone. These new measures will improve the integrity of the exports from Nigeria and will reduce the rejection of goods.
The implementation of a new 5 level secure supply chain pathway will improve the quality of aviacargo business in Nigeria as it cuts across the whole value chain starting from the farms. Nothing will be accepted at the airport that cannot be traced and did not pass through the pathway. He said that FAAN management will join the retreat for the final production of the report as it will mark the beginning of a new era for aviacargo in Nigeria. The report was presented in the presence of the Director of Commercial and Business Development of FAAN Olumuyiwa Femi Pearse, General Managers, Business Development and that for Cargo, Hycienth Ngwu and Kabiru Mohammed, respectively the Chief of Staff to the MD Barrister Kwasau and many other stakeholders.
