By TINA TIMOTHY

Concerned Nigeria Registered Freight Forwarders (CNRFF) has, in collaboration with the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN)’s Freight Forwarders Consultative Forum (FFCF), resolved to merge all freight forwarding associations into one body; a move which the associations agreed would promote effectives in their operations.

The resolution was contained in a communiqué read to participants and was adopted during the maiden edition of Nigeria Freight Forwarding Summit held at Festac Town, Lagos, on Thursday, September 22, 2022.

The meeting was chaired by Chief Ernest Elochukwu. The Summit Chairman while the Summit Rapporteur/Spokesperson, Comrade Chidi Anthony Opara signed the communiqué.

According to the communiqué, the summit recommended improved relationships between governmental and non-governmental organizations in the ports and freight forwarders, CRFFN to effectively fulfill its mandate of training and retraining of practitioners and to always attend to the welfare of Registered Freight Forwarders and its Governing Council and management to be administered strictly according to the provisions of the establishment act.

The Summit also agreed that "Nigeria Freight Forwarding Summit" will be an annual event under same structure and that all stakeholders should close ranks and present a united front always, amongst others.

Part of the communiqué reads: “Summit recommended improved relationships between governmental and non-governmental organizations in the ports and freight forwarders henceforth.

“Summit recognized that the problems bedeviling the freight forwarding subsector in Nigeria has been increasing rather than decreasing and that solutions should be sought for henceforth.

“Summit demanded that the implementations of the 32-point solutions identified by Freight Forwarders Consultative Forum (FFCF) in its meeting in August 2022 and ratified by Council For The Regulation of Freight Forwarding In Nigeria (CRFFN) in its meeting in September 2022 should be fast.

“Summit agreed that there will be a Monitoring Committee for the implementations of solutions of identified problems in the subsector.

“Summit agreed that “Nigeria Freight Forwarding Summit” will be an annual event under same structure.

“Summit recommended that henceforth, Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding In Nigeria (CRFFN) should effectively fulfill its mandate of training and retraining of practitioners and to always attend to the welfare of Registered Freight Forwarders.

“Summit agreed that all stakeholders should close ranks and present a united front always.

“Summit recommended that henceforth, CRFFN Governing Council and management should be administered strictly according to the provisions of the establishment act.

“Summit recommended that the CRFFN establishment act should be amended to reflect the required focus and independence.

“Summit recommended that all freight forwarding associations should be merged into one body for effectiveness.”