The Mandatory Continuing Professional Development Programme (MCPD) has been described as a condition for the issuance or renewal of practitioners’ licenses in the freight forwarding sector of the Nigerian maritime industry.
The Registrar, Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), Sir Mike Jukwe who made this known on the sideline of a one day MCPD organized for freight forwarders by the Nigerian Institute of Freight Forwarders and Customs Brokers in Conjunction with CRFFN in Lagos said that those who did not participate in any of the programme this year would not be allowed to practice in the industry next year.
Sir Jukwe hinted that the Council was not able to enforce that before now because there was no such opportunity of having the programme in the past adding that since the opportunity had been created for practitioners to take advantage of, those who don’t want to go through the training would not be allowed to practice.
In his words,” that is what our regulation says but you see in the past, we didn’t have the opportunity of having this programme, so we could not implement it. But now the opportunity has been given, if there are those who deliberately don’t want to go through the training then we make sure that they don’t practice”.
“This is the condition, this particular training, the MCPD is a condition for the issuance or renewal of practitioners’ licenses and those who don’t participate, next year they won’t be allowed to operate”.
He further explained that the MCPD was a different programme from the scholarship programme the council had earmarked for 300 practitioners in the industry this year adding that the scholarship which would be extended to 12 or 13 maritime journalists would be for Certificate, Diploma and Higher Diploma programes at different institutions billed to commence in May, 2015.
Throwing more light on the MCPD, Jukwe said,” this Mandatory Continuing Professional Development Programme, we hope it will hold at least once in a quarter. You come here you refresh, by the time you attend, we are not teaching you what you know, we are telling you what is happening, the innovations in the industry. The industry is very dynamic, everything is happening every other day, new things are coming up that if you go to other countries, Singapore, freight forwarders don’t use the applications that we are using, they have their own software, they have their own technological innovations that they are using but of course, we must start somewhere like I said”.
“The stage where we are now, there will be a time when we will be able to apply what they are applying. Goods are released within 24 hours of arrival; the cargoes are taken out of the ports. As at the last count, ours will be taking 21 days, 3 days and so on. But given the technology and the skills, I believe we can match up with them. So, I encourage you”.
While expressing his satisfaction with the turn out of the practitioners who came for the training which according to him was impressive, the CRFFN boss however stated that the next training programme would be a little bit different from the just concluded one adding that the next batch of trainees would have to undergo an orientation course where they would be acquainted with the happenings outside the country in the field of freight forwarding.
