The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has harped on the need for independent freight forwarders in Africa to network in order for them to get their own share of the market as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement takes off in full swing.
The National President of the association, Chief Increase Uche who made this call in an interview with our correspondent in Lagos recently maintained that freight forwarders needed not to wait until the trade takes off fully as they need to know what the freight forwarders in Ghana, South Africa and other African countries were doing “because we are the actual movers, we should be seen as taking the lead in providing the services that is required; advisory services as well as planning of routes.”
Uche noted that in the entire logistics services, freight forwarders must be seen as being proactive as to render services that would not impede the smooth flow.
He however added that it was very important that government needed to know the readiness of the intermediaries like the freight forwarders and the logistics service providers to participate in the trade.
“For me, today, I started making calls because there is the need that we find a way of putting a structure that will bring the freight forwarders in Africa together. So, let us start from somewhere. What we are planning is not just getting across to freight forwarders in other parts of Africa, we want to create a network because most of us are independent freight forwarders, and we are not multinational companies like FEDEX, DHL, Maersk line and others.
“So, independent freight forwarders work mostly through networking, we have to belong to a network that will enable you have your link so that if a cargo is moving from Nigeria here now and you are the one providing the logistics service to move it across the border, you then know who collects it across the destination. It is only through networking that that can be achieved”, he submitted.
Photo: The NAGAFF National President, Chief Increase Uche.
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