The Federal Government, represented by the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), has initiated the construction of the first aviacargo village in Nigeria. This strategic endeavor is aimed at reshaping the nation’s economy into one driven by exports and positioning it as a central agro-export hub in the African continent.
Covering an expansive land area of 27,000 square meters, the cargo village is meticulously designed to accommodate the entire spectrum of export procedures at the airport. Previous reports from Vanguard have highlighted that despite the introduction of air cargo systems in the country, successive administrations have struggled to promote air-based exports, even when there is a plethora of available goods.
Upon closer examination of this development, it becomes evident that the share of the aviation sector in the nation’s overall trade volume has been disappointingly low, with a significant number of aircraft departing from Nigeria with limited cargo on board.
Nonetheless, in response to this situation, Mr. Kabir Mohammed, the Managing Director of FAAN, articulated during the groundbreaking ceremony that establishing an aviacargo village has been identified as a “quick win” solution to combat the challenges of rejected agro-exports and to amplify the nation’s export capabilities and earnings. This move holds the potential to overhaul the export landscape, paving the way for a more prosperous economic future for Nigeria.
“The cargo village which is one of the proposed recommendations of the aviacargo road map committee, setup by FAAN, is meant to streamline the process of agro-export in the country and create a seamless operation from the farm to the airplane before it’s ferried abroad.
“By this ground breaking ceremony taking place today, you can agree with me that FAAN management is truly determined to implement your recommendations with a view to taking the rightful number one position in aviacargo exports in Africa with the next few years.
“This cargo village will be one-stop-s aimed at addressing most challenges militating against massive aviacargo exports in our country.
“It will have facilities for cargo processing, packaging, certification, laboratory services, data gathering for traceability of products and produces etc.
“You can be assured that in the couple of years, cargo planes will be departing from our airports fully loaded with goods that meet destination standards and acceptance,” he stated.
Expressing his perspective on the matter, Mr. Ikechi Uko, the coordinator of the Aviacargo Roadmap Committee, conveyed that while the ground breaking ceremony might appear as a modest advancement for the agency and its committee members, it signifies a monumental leap forward for the entire nation of Nigeria.
“I want use this opportunity to thank FAAN, the management staff, for what they have done. This is a small step for those of us here but it is a magic leap not just for FAAN but for Nigeria. We are number five in Africa, when we ought to be number one and this today starts the journey to number one aviation cargo hub Africa.
“I thank the Managing Director for bringing this to fruition and the whole committee members for supporting this project since we started. And the next time we will be here, there will be evidence of what we have done today,” he said.
