Sade Williams/Business a.m.
Nigeria’s export business received a boost at the weekend as Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and aerospace development, commissioned the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Ltd (NAHCO) Export packaging and processing centre developed at a cost of N1 billion, at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.
Olubunmi Kuku, managing director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), who represented the minister, commended NAHCO for demonstrating exceptional professionalism and business innovation for 44 years.
According to her, the facility will mitigate issues hitherto beleaguering export of perishable goods.
“Nigeria currently stands at a crucial juncture, as the export business offers immense opportunities for economic growth and development. This is why I am most excited for this facility’s opening for business. With the equipment, expertise and offices here, most of the challenges of exporting perishable goods will be highly mitigated. Issues around the shelf-life of the crops, temperature control, packaging, handling and regulatory compliance will be a thing of the past,” she said.
Assuring NAHCO of support, Keyamo said the cargo services directorate in FAAN was created to further enhance the export business.
“In a world where revenue growth is key, I want to assure NAHCO that we will continue to support them in this and other ventures. It is my hope that exporters and other stakeholders will take full advantage of this facility to boost Nigeria’s export numbers, which will impact positively on our balance of payment position and strengthen the Naira.
“It is in furtherance of this goal that the FAAN has been promoting cargo development and even set up a committee to identify the challenges in cargo facilitation, especially on export.
To emphasise the importance of freighting, the minister for aviation and aerospace development, Festus Keyamo, in his wisdom decided to create the Cargo Services Directorate in FAAN. It is designed to ameliorate the problems in the sector and bring innovative ideas to life.
Meanwhile, some stakeholders called for an export-led economy, adding that diversification into non-oil products is the way to go.
While commending NAHCO for the initiative, Olusegun Awolowo, executive secretary, National Action Committee on the African Continental Free Trade Area, decried over-dependence on oil by the government saying the export packaging and processing centre is a timely intervention in the situation.
“I have been preaching this for the past eight years now and I came up with what we call the Zero oil plan, that Nigeria must survive in a global economy where she no longer sells oil. At that time it sounded very audacious but we are seeing it now. Many countries are not going to be using petrol or Diesel again, so how does Nigeria get on , we must grow, produce more and we must export.
“If our economy is not export-led, we will continue to have these challenges. Other countries that have made it big, it is export that is driving their economies; so the same can happen for Nigeria, particularly a country that is as blessed as this. So we have no choice other than to do this. This facility that we are launching today is also one of the steps towards that break where we can process, preserve and package the goods and then put them on the plane and in the next six hours, it gets to the destination. That is the advantage. Many exporters can now grow because they have an avenue on how and where to export, this is a step towards the right direction,” he said.
John Okapku, chief executive officer, ABX World, said Nigeria needs to take its position by harnessing the $250 billion export sub-sector through deliberate efforts such as the new facility.
Ikechi Uko, coordinator, aviacargo roadmap committee, commended NAHCO for ‘implementing some of the ideas and recommendations of the committee, adding that it will continue to guide it on how to improve on the processing centre.
Indranil Gupta, managing director, NAHCO, described the occasion as historic, adding that the first-of-its-kind Export Packaging and Processing Centre in Nigeria will play a pivotal role in strengthening the economic might of the nation.
“Exports bring about economic development by way of earning Forex and also helps the domestic economy by generating jobs, thereby putting money into the pockets of our countrymen.
“While there is tremendous potential for air freight in transportation of perishables, there is an increasing need for Nigeria to invest in better packaging facilities that meet global standards. This our Export Processing and Packaging Centre is our contribution towards a major response to meet this need as a nation. Our new facility is a strategic move to enhance the competitiveness of Nigerian products on the global stage, create jobs at home and push the boundaries of what Nigeria could sell abroad.
Also speaking, chairman of the company, Seinde Fadeni said NAHCO believes that there is a lot of foreign exchange that Nigeria can earn through food exports, adding that it is here to lead the charge.
“We would need the government to give us all the support we need. The livelihood and indeed prosperity of many Nigerians depend on the export of perishables. Government should summon a meeting of all relevant stakeholders to deliberate on the best way to move this segment forward. And to all our stakeholders, the airlines, the agents, exporters, farmers, I tell you this today: NAHCO is ready for export business. You cannot get this facility anywhere else in Nigeria. It is built with you in mind,” he said.
