The Group Managing Director/CEO, Nigeria Aviation Handling Company Plc (nachoaviance), Mr Indranil Gupta has Nigeria agro-export can meet the immediate demand of the West African sub region if the enabling environment is created and the right policies put in place.
This is just as he revealed that the company is about constructing a world class facility that will enhance its operation in the sector and also aid importers and exporters in the country.
Speaking at the company’s headquarter’s in Lagos while receiving members of the Aviacargo Roadmap Committee, Gupta said the country needs to look inward to see what it can easily export to its West African neighbours, noting that most Francophone countries in the sub region are 99% dependent on import which are primarily done from Europe and America.
He stated that a lot of those import which is about 40% to 50% are being created in Nigeria in excess.
According to him, Nigeria should take advantage of the the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) and the ECOWAS trade policy to increase the volume of its exports in the country.
He said: “In terms of potential and in terms of perspective from the importers, Nigeria has a huge potential. But in terms of requirement, all of us are impacted by the current account deficit and the imbalance between import and export.
“And the fact that our exports are heavily dependent on Petrol Chemical. Nigeria needs to look within to see what we can export to the larger global consumer base but also within Africa.
“The very key one is within Africa. If we just look at our neighbourhood, the Francophone countries, almost all of them are 99% dependent on import which are primarily from Europe and America. And a lot of those import which is about 40% to 50% are being created in Nigeria in excess.
“So Nigerian manufacturers have a lot to contribute to the immediate neighbourhood and the larger continent as well. We have to enable and expose the manufacturers, the growers, the farmers to this opportunity. And once they are aware of this opportunity, we need to extend the function of the state and industry to get together to create the right policies and right infrastructure, which will then enable this trade to happen.
“All the policies which exist, either ECOWAS, AFCTA, these policy frame works which are already available, we should be able to take advantage of it.”
Gupta further added the NAHCO is set to construct a world class terminal to enhance cargo operations in the country and also aid the operational processes importers and exporters undertake in the sector.
“In terms of what Nacho is doing, apart from the work we are doing along with NEPC to push export, very shortly we are going to embark on our ambitious project especially in Lagos to reorganize our terminals. The way the terminals exist today, they have been in place for decades like that and they need complete overhaul. And we are planning to embark on that project within this year and God willingly, we should be able to deliver a world class facility for all exporters and importers in the coming year.”
Early in his address, the Coordinator of the Aviacargo Committee, Mr Ikechi Uko said the purpose of the aviacargo project is to create and enabling environment that would improve efficiency in the system, increase export volumes in the country and increasing revenue generation for the sector and the country at large.
He said Nigeria has a huge population and vast land that could drive the volume of export but is not using it to its advantage.
He said: “The whole project of trying to create a template for aviacargo is to create more business for SAHCO and the industry. With our huge population, we are doing poorly and the whole concept is to improve the processes and also to grow the volume of cargo out of Nigeria. To do all of that we needed to understand what are the challenges and what are the mitigation to these challenges.
