The Sea Empowerment Research Centre (SEREC) has called for the repositioning of Nigeria’s air cargo governance, describing it as critical to the country’s competitiveness under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), trade facilitation and national economic growth.
SEREC made the call in a policy brief issued on Wednesday in Abuja by its Head of Research, Dr. Eugene Nweke.
The brief followed a recent dispute over proposed tariff adjustments between the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and freight forwarders as well as air cargo agents. FAAN had announced plans to increase air cargo handling and port charges, a move strongly opposed by industry stakeholders before a compromise was reached on Monday.
Nweke said that in the evolving AfCFTA environment, air cargo plays a decisive role in facilitating high-value and time-sensitive intra-African trade. He noted that it supports non-oil exports such as agro-produce, pharmaceuticals and manufactured goods, while enabling Nigeria’s participation in regional value chains.
“Globally, air cargo is increasingly recognised as critical trade infrastructure, not a subsidiary aviation function. Countries that succeed under AfCFTA will be those that minimise logistics costs, ensure predictability and operate trusted, secure supply chains,” he said.
He urged the Federal Government to introduce AfCFTA-sensitive safeguards to protect priority export sectors from excessive cost increases during implementation.
“Aviation charges must support, rather than undermine, regional trade competitiveness. Air cargo policy must evolve into a strategic enabler of trade, competitiveness and economic growth,” Nweke said.
He added that the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development is well-positioned to drive comprehensive air cargo reforms and restore stakeholder confidence.
Nweke warned that Nigeria’s air cargo system still suffers from fragmented governance, inconsistent policy implementation, weak linkage between tariffs and service performance, and underutilisation of internationally recognised regulated agent regimes.
He cautioned that these gaps could render Nigeria a high-cost, low-efficiency cargo hub, thereby undermining efforts to diversify exports and expand trade.
To address the challenges, he recommended that the government elevate air cargo to a national trade policy priority and formally recognise it as strategic trade infrastructure essential for AfCFTA participation.
He also proposed the establishment of a National Air Cargo Economic and Trade Facilitation Committee comprising FAAN, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Customs, airlines, freight forwarders, exporters and other relevant agencies.
According to him, the committee should conduct economic impact assessments and ensure stakeholder validation before any tariff adjustments.
Nweke further advocated for full operationalisation and enforcement of the Regulated Air Cargo Agent Regime to strengthen trusted supply chains. He stressed that tariff increases should be tied to measurable service benchmarks, infrastructure upgrades and efficiency gains.
He also called for phased and differentiated tariffs for export-oriented and AfCFTA-priority goods, alongside accelerated digitalisation through the deployment of a National Air Cargo Community System integrating FAAN, Customs, airlines, handlers and agents.
Nweke reaffirmed SEREC’s readiness to provide technical support, comparative policy analysis and stakeholder facilitation to advance Nigeria’s air cargo reforms.