By Oluyinka Onigbinde
Freight forwarders across Nigeria are set to come under a mandatory standardised freight service charge regime before the end of the first quarter of 2026, as the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) moves to overhaul the country’s cargo clearance cost structure.
The Registrar of CRFFN, Mr. Kingsley Igwe, disclosed this during a recent briefing in Lagos, revealing that the initiative has received backing from the highest levels of government following consultations with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
According to Igwe, the move is designed to tackle one of the sector’s longest-standing challenges, that is absence of a transparent and predictable mechanism for determining freight forwarding and logistics charges, which has often led to inconsistent pricing, delays, and disputes in port operations.
He emphasised that the standardised regime will be implemented nationwide, marking what the Council describes as a major shift in how freight charges are calculated and applied, and signalling a more regulated, centrally monitored approach for all freight forwarders operating in Nigerian ports.
According to him, importers currently operate in an environment where the cost of clearing cargo remains uncertain until the very end of the process, a situation he described as systemic and damaging to both trade planning and business sustainability.
“You want to import a container, and you cannot predict how much it will cost you to clear it. That is not an individual problem; it is a system problem,” the Registrar noted.
He explained that the standardised charge framework was developed following extensive consultations, stakeholder engagements and comparative studies of logistics pricing models in other jurisdictions where freight charges are clearly defined and regulated.
Igwe said the Council examined existing pricing structures within Nigeria, reviewed bills of lading submitted by freight forwarders, and analysed practices of logistics companies already operating structured service charge models.
From the findings, CRFFN discovered that freight forwarding service charges in Nigeria currently range between 8 per cent and as high as 22 per cent of total transaction costs, with some operators charging irregular and unpredictable fees that leave freight forwarders absorbing losses after settling shipping lines, terminal operators and customs duties.
“In many cases, after paying shipping lines, terminal operators and customs duties, freight forwarders are left with nothing from the service charge. That is unfortunate, and it must stop,” Igwe stated.
Following consultations with industry stakeholders, the Council agreed on a benchmark service charge of 12.5 per cent, which will serve as the standard rate under the new framework.
He noted that the proposed system is not merely about fixing prices, but about deploying a digital platform that will automatically compute applicable service charges based on declared cargo and transaction details, ensuring transparency for shippers, freight forwarders and government agencies alike.
Under the new regime, shippers will have full visibility of what they are being charged, while freight forwarders will be protected from allegations of concealment or suspicion from regulatory and enforcement agencies.
Igwe said the framework would also address hidden costs and informal payments that have continued to inflate logistics expenses across the ports, adding that once charges are clearly defined, operators will be able to track revenue, forecast earnings and plan their businesses more effectively.
He further explained that the system will align freight forwarding operations with Nigeria’s evolving tax framework, making it easier for operators to declare earnings and avoid penalties associated with non-compliance.
According to him, the era of operating outside the tax net is coming to an end, as government agencies now have the capacity to track financial activities through bank verification systems, regardless of whether operators voluntarily make declarations.
“Shying away from declaration is not the solution. By the time you declare properly, you have solved a problem that would have cost you twenty times more,” he warned.
The Registrar assured stakeholders that once the standardised service charge regime is implemented, it would enhance professionalism, improve trust between freight forwarders and shippers, and ultimately strengthen Nigeria’s logistics ecosystem.
He said the Council is finalising the development of the supporting system and expects full roll-out of the standardised freight charge framework before the end of the first quarter of the year, pending final alignment with relevant government authorities.
The planned reform is expected to have far-reaching implications for port operations, trade facilitation and cost transparency, particularly at a time when Nigeria is seeking to improve ease of doing business and reduce logistics bottlenecks under the Marine and Blue Economy agenda
