AFTER 30 YEARS, FAAN ENGAGES TOP LICENSED CUSTOMS AGENTS

 

AFTER 30 YEARS, FAAN ENGAGES TOP LICENSED CUSTOMS AGENTS

After more than 30 years, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has engaged Licensed Customs Agents operating at the Pilgrims and Cargo Terminal (PCT), Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, in a landmark stakeholder engagement aimed at strengthening collaboration, improving the cargo operating environment and building a more responsive air cargo ecosystem.

The engagement, facilitated by FAAN’s Directorate of Cargo Development & Services (DCDS), brought together 100 of the leading Licensed Customs Agents, representatives of freight forwarder associations, Customs Licensed Agents’ associations and other key stakeholders within the cargo value chain for direct discussions with FAAN.

Participants described the engagement as a significant and long-overdue development, with some noting that it was the first time in more than 30 years that they had experienced such a deliberate effort by the airport authority to recognise and engage them as important participants in the air cargo industry.

The significance of the engagement goes beyond the number of participants.

Licensed Customs Agents and freight forwarders occupy one of the closest positions to the actual customers of the air cargo industry — the businesses and individuals who import, export and move goods by air. They interact directly with cargo owners, importers and exporters and are therefore uniquely positioned to understand the practical realities, frustrations and expectations of customers using the airport cargo system.

Their experiences provide an important window into the performance of the wider cargo ecosystem — from documentation and cargo processing to clearance, access, coordination among agencies and the overall ease of doing business.

For DCDS, this makes sustained engagement with these stakeholders an important source of operational intelligence and an essential component of cargo development.

Speaking during the engagement, representatives of the Licensed Customs Agents expressed appreciation for the opportunity to be recognised and heard, noting that although they play a critical role in facilitating cargo clearance and movement, they have historically not felt sufficiently recognised as an integral part of the airport cargo business ecosystem.

The stakeholders used the opportunity to openly identify operational challenges affecting cargo movement and clearance at the PCT, as well as issues requiring coordination with other FAAN departments, government agencies and stakeholders.

Rather than treating the engagement as a one-off meeting, DCDS emphasised the need to establish a more structured and continuous relationship with cargo stakeholders through which issues can be identified, escalated to the appropriate institutions and tracked towards resolution.

The Directorate also stressed that partnership must be accompanied by responsibility. Compliance with applicable regulations, airport procedures, security requirements, documentation standards and professional best practices remains fundamental to the development of a safe, secure and efficient cargo environment.

The engagement forms part of DCDS’s broader stakeholder-governance approach to cargo development, recognising that infrastructure alone cannot create a competitive air cargo industry. Efficient cargo movement depends equally on effective coordination, clear processes, responsive institutions and strong relationships among the various participants in the cargo value chain.

The objective is to move beyond a largely transactional relationship towards a more structured partnership built around communication, accountability, service improvement, compliance and measurable outcomes.

The engagement also provides DCDS with an opportunity to better understand the customer experience at the PCT and identify areas where improvements can contribute to increased cargo throughput, greater efficiency and a more competitive business environment.

For the participating Licensed Customs Agents and freight-forwarding community, the message from the engagement was clear: they want to be recognised not simply as service providers operating within the terminal, but as an integral part of the Nigerian air cargo industry.

For FAAN, the engagement represents the beginning of a more deliberate approach to bringing the voices of those closest to cargo customers into the development and improvement of the airport cargo ecosystem.

FAAN, through DCDS, intends to sustain this dialogue with Licensed Customs Agents, freight forwarders and other stakeholders as part of its continuing efforts to develop a more efficient, secure, transparent and competitive Nigerian air cargo industry.