The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has called on the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, to take urgent steps to revamp the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) and enforce the Cabotage Act to curb foreign dominance in the sector.
This call was made during a courtesy visit by the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy to the association in Lagos on Thursday.
The Minister disclosed that the purpose of the engagement was aimed at addressing and resolving challenges faced by freight forwarding practitioners in line with international best practices.
Oyetola who was represented by the Director of Training at the Ministry; Solomon Zaks assured the freight forwarders that the ministry will prioritize capacity building of the practitioners through the CRFFN, adding that issues bothering on freight forwarding will be addressed holistically.
On his part, NAGAFF founder, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam called on the Minister to take decisive action in addressing the challenges facing the freight forwarding sector, particularly the underperformance of the CRFFN.
While urging the Minister to directly engage with freight forwarders to resolve key industry concerns, Aniebonam expressed disappointment over the CRFFN’s failure to fully implement its statutory roles, noting that freight forwarding is distinct from customs brokerage. He also disclosed that NAGAFF is currently in an appeal court case against CRFFN over regulatory functions, highlighting the need for government intervention to ensure proper oversight.
The NAGAFF founder also warned against blackmail and misinformation within the sector, calling on the ministry to support CRFFN’s leadership in addressing industry challenges.
Speaking on the need for capacity building, NAGAFF National President, Chief Tochukwu Ezisi, emphasized the importance of training and retraining freight forwarders to align with global best practices.
In response, Florence Egbuna, Director of Training at CRFFN, reassured NAGAFF members of the council’s commitment to professional development.
Egbuna revealed that CRFFN would collaborate with agencies such as the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigerian Ports Authority to enhance training programmes.
