Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) and the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) have deepened collaboration in a bid to boost freight forwarding standards via professionalism in the country.
This commitment was made during a courtesy visit by the CRFFN team, led by its Registrar, Mr. Kingsley Igwe, to the NSC headquarters in Lagos, on Tuesday.
Welcoming the delegation, the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of NSC, Dr. Pius Akutah, MON, emphasized the importance of synergy between the agencies under the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy and therefore, stressed the need for a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two agencies to strengthen their operational framework.
Dr. Akutah highlighted the importance of inter-agency collaboration, stating that no agency can do it all by itself without collaboration.
He further pointed out that the establishment of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy by President Bola Tinubu demonstrates the Federal Government’s strong commitment to economic development and therefore, the need for agencies under the Ministry to operate professionally in order to fulfill the President’s vision for the sector.
Dr. Akutah highlighted the importance of professionalism in trade, commending CRFFN’s restructuring the Freight Forwarders’ registration process, particularly the incorporation of Know Your Customer (KYC) protocols, describing it as a critical step in improving industry standards.
Dr. Akutah urged CRFFN to uphold and enforce the compliance standards it has set to align with global best practices.
Earlier speaking, Mr. Igwe informed that CRFFN is grappling with challenges, especially in the areas of revenue generation and capacity building.
The CRFFN boss appealed for NSC’s support in training freight forwarders to meet international benchmarks and strengthen Nigeria’s logistics value chain.
Igwe disclosed that CRFFN has already developed a training curriculum but requires resources and suitable training locations to execute the program effectively.
The Registrar also commended Dr. Akutah’s efforts in sanitizing port operations and expressed confidence in the NSC’s continued support.
