Aviation Conference on Insurance, Finance in Cargo Freighting Holds

Chinedu Eze

Participants are billed to attend the 2022 edition of Chinet Aviation and Cargo conference, which will focus on six broad areas.

The areas of focus incude: The role of cargo airports in the growth of aviacargo and exports in Nigeria; Development of a national aviacargo master plan for Nigeria; The role of insurance in the growth of aviation and cargo in Nigeria; The role of insurance regulation in growing aviation and cargo in Nigeria; The impact of accident investigation on the growth of aviation and cargo in Nigeria, and Financing exports, aviation and cargo business in Nigeria.

The organiser of the conference, Ambassador Ikechi Uko, said one to the biggest obstacles to the growth of exports from Nigeria, was logistics.

“Nigerian exports arrive the markets more expensive than competitors because of logistics cost and associated charges. The second edition of Chinet will hold on the 7th and 8th of September 2022 in Lagos. This year’s event with the theme: “The Role of Insurance and Regulation in Growing Exports, Aviation and Cargo Business in Nigeria”, is expected to build on the successes recorded at the last event and also address the challenges thrown up during the last conference,” he said.

Uko noted that the federal government, through the Ministry of Aviation, has designated some cargo airports for concessioning in recognition of the lack of viability of these airports presently.

He recalled that last year at Chinet, Ogun State Commissioner of Finance presented the business plan for Ogun Cargo Airport and it is being built.

“This is a big success story from last year. It is expected that the session on airports will give all the other cargo airports in Nigeria an opportunity to make presentations on their capacities and inherent viability prospects for the airports. In 2022 over six new cargo airports have opened or about to open across the country most owned by states. What is the enterprise plans for these airports? How will they grow Aviacargo using their business plan?

“Cargo airports were built with no warehouses and facilities for cargo. The staccato development of cargo airports has led to the demand for a National Aviacargo Master Plan either by the Federal Government or by the state and regional airports in order to increase the uptake of Aviacargo in Nigeria. The Aviacargo industry in Nigeria is almost non- existent or at the lowest stage of development. This is according to stakeholders as Nigeria still brings in more tonnes in a week than it exports in a month. Almost all domestic cargoes are road bound. There is a need to change the scenario by integrating the airports to the markets,” he also said.