From Anthony Nwachukwu, Lagos

The Council for the Registration of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) has called for the support of clearing and freight forwarding practitioners to amend some provisions of the agency’s establishment act.

Speaking Tuesday in Lagos during his reception by the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), CRFFN Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Kingsley Igwe, listed import and export declarations among the necessary reviews.

Igwe said this “should rightfully begin at CRFFN, not customs. As a regulatory agency, the CRFFN is supposed to even be at the grassroots monitoring and implementing trade facilitation.

” As the agency that regulates logistics services, we set and define the standard of operations, the service to be administered and, possibly, the regulation of certain charges by the service providers.

“We need to ensure that what you are loading to customs meets the requisite standard, is professional enough, and you have done due diligence. So, due diligence begins at CRFFN, before your documents proceed to customs desk.”

According to Igwe, the present practice, “which is the contrary, always lands practitioners in huge penalties over minor errors that can easily be overlooked or rejected for a re-application or cancellation.

“By the time it begins with the CRFFN, all of that dirty part of the job would have been cleaned up before it is transmitted to the next desk, and that is the essence of the national single window that is coming. It will even be worse if it is implemented without this clean-up.

“So, we need your voice, that clearing should begin with the CRFFN, so that arbitrary charges would end; the incessant debit note that is always associated with wrong, false or under-declaration will end.

“Then you will have profit at the end of your transactions, rather than borrowing money to complete your transactions due to minor mistakes that can be overlooked.”

Earlier in his welcome address, NAGAFF President, Tochukwu Ezisi, had told Igwe, who was a former National Secretary of NAGAFF, that his presence has enriched the gathering and reinforced the importance of collaboration in the industry.

Stating t that partnership between the association and CRFFN is essential for the continued growth of the freight forwarding sub-sector, Ezisi, of behalf of the association, requested the CRFFN to provide a clear roadmap for resolving outstanding issues affecting members, including the payment of Practitioners Operating Fee (POF).

Other demands include to improve and strengthen regulatory and enforcement framework to streamline the activities of registered and unregistered freight forwarders.

Ezisi further stressed the need for increased stakeholder engagement to ensure that the concerns and interests of members are taken into account; and to provide regular training and capacity building programmes for freight forwarders to enhance their skills and knowledge, among others.