A maritime group under the auspices of the Sea Empowerment and Research Centre has urged freight forwarders in the nation’s maritime sector to recommit to resilience and professional excellence.

The Head of Research at SEREC, Mr Eugene Nweke, disclosed this in a statement sent to The PUNCH on Sunday.

He lamented that the country is in a period of extraordinary times, with global events having far-reaching impacts on the nation’s economy, international trade, and security supply chain.

Nweke, who is also a former National President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, admitted that the freight forwarding industry is not immune to these challenges.

“Despite these challenges, I commend the resilience and efforts of freight forwarding practitioners, association leadership, regulatory council management, and stakeholders in keeping the nation’s ports and economy moving.

However, it is essential to renew our professional steadfastness and commitment to delivering quality freight logistics services,” Nweke said.

According to him, as critical players in the transport logistics industry, freight forwarders have the responsibility to uphold high professional discipline and maintain quality services.

He stressed that the clarion call highlights key industry focus areas, changes, and challenges that require our attention.

Nweke underscored the need for practitioners to embrace the national single window and customs migration to B’Odogwu’s trade platform, with a focus on machine learning and artificial intelligence.

“Upgrading professional skills and expertise is a deserving necessity. There should be compliance with the newly signed tax reform via the establishment of the Nigeria Revenue Service. Shippers and practitioners must understand that they are now in the eyes of the sun,” he said.

He called for an informed, structured, and strategically positioned regulatory administration: “A functional and all-inclusive Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria is apt. The prevailing situation calls for professional recommitment devoid of sentiments and undue tussles. This is the time for all practitioners to think about building professional legacies.”

Nweke emphasised that the critical role of freight forwarders in driving the process is key, adding that it appears that more practitioners are offered a back seat.

“The impact of foreign exchange rates and the dynamism surrounding the Chinese currency swap policy on the profession and citizenry. Equally, practitioners must raise the bar of their professional discipline, revisit their roles regarding supply chain security compliance, and shun activities aiding the influx of fake, substandard, pirated, and dangerous imports and exports. It is essential to understand that port automation and digitalisation also entail the principles of profiling,” he said.

He highlighted the need for the government to address too many taxes and charges without cost or duplicated functions, adding that this is a major infraction of the regional transshipment hub objectives.

Nweke mentioned that in the months ahead, key agencies of the government will be reintroducing new charges and levies, “for instance, the reintroduction of four per cent customs operation funding, the stipulated charges embedded in the about-to-be-signed-into-law Nigeria Shipping and Port Economic Regulatory Agency, among others.

“There is an urgent need to revisit and reactivate local content laws. The foreign incursions into the profession and the gradual takeover plan by the first-generation port operators and their shipping line affiliates call for unified fronts. Various concerns require the attention of freight forwarding practitioners. The need and time to come together for professional sustainability are now,” Nweke stressed.

He pointed out that to address these challenges and opportunities, freight forwarders must work together as a profession, sharing knowledge, expertise, and best practices.

“We must also invest in ongoing training and professional development to stay up-to-date with industry developments,” he concluded.