The Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) has disclosed plans to restructure the payment of Practitioners Operating Fee (POF), as the current contract with its consultant, SW Global, is set to expire soon.
This comes amid persistent complaints from freight forwarders who have raised concerns over inefficiencies and challenges associated with the payment and processing of the mandatory fee platform, including multiple debits, frequent payment glitches, and delays in receiving entitled dividends.
Speaking exclusively to Shipping Position Daily, last week the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of CRFFN, Mr Kingsley Igwe confirmed the impending expiration of the contract with SW Global amidst several concerns raised by industry stakeholders.
Over the years, freight forwarders have repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the POF collection process, citing system inefficiencies, technical glitches, and a lack of transparency in the disbursement of returns. In response to these grievances, the Registrar assured that steps are being taken to address the concerns and overhaul the entire collection process.
The CRFFN Registrar noted that despite these challenges freight forwarders are still complying with the payment of the POF at the port terminals. He however acknowledged the challenges and assured that efforts are underway to create a more seamless, transparent, and user-friendly payment system once the current contract ends.
“People are complying with the payment of POF at the ports. However, the contract with the consultants; SW Global – will come to an end soon. We are working towards making the POF collection system more efficient and hitch-free.
I just came from a collaborative visit to Five Star Logistics Terminal where we had a robust discussion on improving efficiency at the ports and helping freight forwarders operate better. We are also pushing digitalization and massive training efforts to reform the logistics industry from the ground up,” he added.
The Registrar also highlighted ongoing collaborative efforts with terminal operators, as well as plans to launch a 1000-man training programme targeted at freight forwarders operating at the airports. According to him, this initiative aims to enhance professionalism and understanding of global best practices in logistics.
While the Registrar refrained from commenting on the delay in the reconstitution of the CRFFN Governing Council, he assured that efforts are ongoing within the supervisory Ministry to align the process with provisions of the CRFFN Act.
