The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN) has inaugurated an aviation cargo roadmap development committee with a specific six-point agenda to address the challenges identified to be hindering the country’s capacity in processing enough cargo freighting at the nation’s airports.
Managing director of FAAN, Capt. Rabiu Yadudu, who inaugurated the committee Monday said the plan was to organize that aspect of the industry and move the country, currently at fifth to second by 2027.
Mr. Ikechi Uko was appointed the Coordinator of the committee, while the secretariat is domiciled with the Directorate of Commercial and Business Development of FAAN. Yadudu hoped that the committee would address the ways by which the country’s aviation cargo processing and facilitation would increase in volumes to rank Nigeria among the first or at least the second in Africa before or by the year 2027.
- He added: “Currently, we are in the fifth position in Africa, having facilitated only 204, 649 tonnes of cargo in 2021. The first airport facilitated only 363,204 tonnes in the same year. And in domestic cargo, we facilitated only 8,895 tonnes in 2021. By our projections of 25% on a year-on-year incremental basis, we expect to be ranked first or second in Africa by or before 2027. With you, certainly, we can achieve this.”
Committee’s responsibilities: According to him, the six-pronged terms of reference involves articulating action plans that meet international best practice and assigning timelines for the facilitation of cargo processing at our airports.
The committee is also to articulate guidelines that meet international best practices for public-private partnerships in developing modern cargo infrastructure and facilities for optimum air-cargo facilitation that meets the destination Country’s standard.
The committee would also articulate programs and incentives that would encourage the mass participation of local airlines in domestic cargo facilitation. The committee would further articulate mechanisms that would bridge the turn-around time in cargo facilitation and articulate solutions to the lack of adequate insurance coverage in the cargo value chain. The FAAN boss further said the committee is expected to proffer any other suggestions that may help the country achieve the desired goal in cargo business in the Nigerian airports.