The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, has directed the Aviacargo Roadmap Committee to fast-track its implementation finds to enable the agency develop its new cargo freighting programme.
Kuku gave the directive at the weekend in a meeting in Lagos, urging the Committee to give her a quicker schedule of implementation, emphasizing that air cargo is of great importance to this government and would want it to be done with faster approach.
The Coordinator of the Committee, Mr. Ikechi Uko who had earlier briefed Kuku on the work done so far, pointed out that the meeting was the first with the enlarged committee in over 10 months.
He thanked Kuku for meeting with the team and renewing the commitment of FAAN to the successful completion of the project.
The Roadmap Committee was set up in December 2022, to provide a roadmap to grow Air Cargo in Nigeria from the 5th position in Africa to number one on the continent. There has been three changes of the Chief Executives at FAAN within 12 months with Kuku taking over in December 2023.
The committee said these changes disrupted the project as all meetings ceased until the team at FAAN settled in, adding that within this period FAAN implemented some parts of the suggestions made by the Committee by creating a New Directorate of Cargo Development and services.
“These changes at FAAN led to recent meetings between the committee and the directorate to streamline the activities between the two of them. The coordination of the Directorate and the Committee led to the enlarged meeting with the MD of FAAN and her team. Among the outcomes of the meeting is the launch of a pilot project of exports through four selected airports. There will be a trial run of perishables export from harvesting at the farm through the Lagos Airport in a timeline of less than 24 hours. There will be another trial run of cereals through the Kano Airport. There will also a trial run of exports through the Enugu Airport. The last trial run will be from Jos Airport,” he said.
