Freight forwarding should be regulated – Group

The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders has urged the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria to regulate the profession to ensure that only professionals are involved in clearing processes at the ports.

Members of NAGAFF made this observation on Tuesday in Apapa, Lagos, when they received the Register of CRFFN, Mr. Kingsley Igwe.

Addressing journalists during the visit, the National President of NAGAFF, Mr. Toochukwu Ezisi, urged the CRFFN to improve on regulations and enforcement.

“We demand that CRFFN strengthen its regulation and enforcement framework to prevent the activities of unlicensed and unregistered stakeholders and also increase stakeholders’ engagement,” Ezisi said.

He urged the CRFFN to engage more, saying, “We demand that CRFs engage more regularly with stakeholders to ensure that the concerns and interests of practitioners are taken into account.”

Ezisi also demanded that the council provided regular training and capacity-building programmes for stakeholder members to enhance their skills and knowledge.

He said that the visit underscores the importance of collaboration in the industry.

“As we come together, let us take a moment to recognise the indispensable role of CRFFN in shaping, regulating, and elevating our industry. Your steadfast commitment to maintaining professionalism, upholding ethical standards, and advocating for excellence is nothing short of inspiring,” he said.

Also speaking, a member of NAGAFF, Mr. Afam Chukwuma, blamed the high rate of fraud cases between importers and their agents due to the numerous quacks in the sector.

“All sorts of people now go to the ports clearing goods. There are more cases of agents collecting money from importers without clearing the goods because they are not professionals,” Chukwuma said.

In his response to the Register of CRFFN, Mr. Kingsley Igwe pledged to tackle the issue of training freight forwarders.

“We might not have been getting it right in the past, but this time around, we will get the issue of training right,” he said.

Igwe noted that most times freight forwarders practice without getting the required training.

“A lot of people enter without training; the industry where we operate is a knowledge-based industry that is regulated globally. Under my leadership we will bring the training to the ports and terminals; we will localise the training so that it will be relevant to the freight forwarders,” he said.