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By Chinelo Obogo
The Chief Executive Officer of Mainstream Cargo Limited, Mr. Seyi Adewale, has said that outdated systems and clearance hurdles are crippling air cargo efficiency in Nigeria.
Delivering a paper at the 5th CHINET Aviation Cargo Conference in Lagos titled: Harnessing Technological Advances to Improve Air Cargo in Nigeria, Adewale said ground handling agents (GHAs) have been overwhelmed by excessive staffing because they rely on obsolete platforms. He said that the industry must adopt advanced systems for real-time data sharing and that without any improvement, Nigeria will not be able to compete.
“GHAs are overwhelmed with needless high staff numbers just to manage inefficiencies and the need to engage permanent staff to handle each airline’s unique system. The reality is that current solutions are either inappropriate or poorly framed. These inefficiencies could be solved with proper Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technology that supports air cargo efficiency,” he said.
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He advised that tally clerks should be given official tablets at the back-ends to access and transmit information directly to bring an end the bottlenecks caused by supervisors who delay the release of data. “This step will eliminate delays, improve planning, and ensure better handling of time and temperature-sensitive cargo. Such reforms are necessary for sustainable air cargo efficiency,” he said.
On other obstacles slowing down air cargo efficiency in Nigeria, he said that airlines currently operate on different systems which make it difficult for ground handling agents to harmonise processes. He said communication gaps between airlines, GHAs, and Customs further create delays, while consignees bear the burden through extra charges such as demurrage. He added that airlines spend heavily to keep ground staff covering technology gaps, yet Customs clearance remains slow, with officers often resuming late. The persistent issue of poor electricity supply, which leads to system downtimes, compounds the problem. “These bottlenecks frustrate users, discourage efficiency, and continue to undermine overall air cargo efficiency across the industry,” he warned.
Adewale, however, commended Customs for introducing the B’Odogwu platform, which enables airlines to generate rotation numbers instantly without relying on agents. However, he warned that the system still has teething challenges.
“Customs must not only train staff on the use of B’Odogwu but also conduct regular competence tests,” he noted. “Energy infrastructure issues must also be resolved so the platform does not appear worse than the solutions it replaced.”
