FAAN aviacargo team concludes visits to Addis Ababa, Nairobi airports

By Chinelo Obogo

The aviacargo team set up by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FANN) to grow cargo business in Nigeria, has concluded their visits to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia and Nairobi in Kenya.

FAAN set up the aviacargo roadmap committee to design a plan that will lift Nigeria to the first position in aviacargo business within the shortest possible time and the team was mandated to find out what other African airports have done well and why Nigeria is falling behind.  The team was led by the Director of Commercial and Business Development in FAAN,  Olumyiwa Femi-Pearse and included the coordinator of the committee, Mr. Ikechi Uko

Legal issues concerning airports as Free Trade Zones were raised with the Ethiopian and Kenyan officials and how those issues have been resolved in both countries. The team went through a detailed tour of all the cargo facilities available at Bole Airport, Addis Ababa and they were received by the managing director  of Ethiopian Airlines Cargo, Mr. Abel Alemu. 

In Kenya, the Nigerian team was received by the acting managing director of the Kenya Airport Authority, Henry Ogoye and they rounded up the tour with visits to the Nigerian embassies in Ethiopia and Kenya ,where they exchanged ideas with the diplomats on oppourtunities for cargo in both countries.

Femi-Pearse told the Nigerian High Commissioner in Kenya, Ambassador Yusuf Yunusa that, “This fact-finding visit is an eye opener for Nigeria. We have identified the gaps in knowledge and facilities. We are going back to implement some of the lessons learnt. Nigeria will become a major player in air cargo business in a very short time.” In his response, the Ambassador said that this type of study tours will help drive export in Nigeria

While thanking the embassy for receiving the team, Uko said: “FAAN should be commended for driving this process. Everyone talks about loaded cargo planes arriving Nigeria and leaving empty but nobody did anything to solve the problem. FAAN stepped in with the aviacargo project and now we are here. This exposure alone is part of the solution. Now we know what we are not doing well. We will soon round up this phase of the project. I want to tell you that FAAN has allocated a 2.7 hectares of land for the cargo village. Based on what we have seen here, the land is small but it is a step in the right direction. Nigeria will get there soon.”