The Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria has stated that many regulatory activities and policy interventions within the maritime sector do not receive adequate media attention.

In a statement over the weekend, the Registrar of CRFFN, Mr Kingsley Igwe, said this when he received a delegation from the Maritime Media & Capacity Development Centre, led by its Chairman, Mr Sesan Onileimo, who paid him a courtesy visit at the CRFFN headquarters in Lagos last week.

Igwe, who endorsed the MMCDC, described the centre as a critical initiative aimed at closing long-standing gaps in maritime media professionalism and capacity building.

The CRFFN Registrar commended the MMCDC for acknowledging the Council’s role within the freight forwarding and maritime media landscape.

Igwe noted that the engagement further strengthens collaboration between regulators and the media.

He explained, “Many regulatory activities and policy interventions within the maritime sector do not receive adequate media attention.

Structured engagement with professional media institutions would help improve public understanding of the CRFFN’s mandate and activities.”

He stressed that the maritime media capacity-building initiative represents a long-overdue intervention in the industry, particularly in addressing the intellectual and technical gaps associated with sectoral reporting.

“I think we owe you a great deal of gratitude for what you have done for CRFFN and the media space.

We do not take this recognition for granted. It is important to close the intellectual gap in the industry, especially in reporting with the right language and structure,” Igwe said.

Igwe also disclosed that CRFFN has formally engaged First Mediacon Network Limited, which is the promoter of the MMCDC, as a strategic media partner to support the council’s publicity, advocacy and media management efforts.

He explained that the partnership is aimed at “ensuring clearer communication of CRFFN’s policies, reforms and regulatory activities, while also strengthening stakeholder engagement across the freight forwarding and maritime value chain.”

Igwe noted that the maritime sector holds enormous yet largely untapped potential, especially amid the increasing focus on the blue economy, and assured that the council would keep backing initiatives aimed at deepening industry knowledge and boosting public awareness.

During the visit, the Registrar was formally presented with his certificate of appointment as a member of the MMCDC Advisory Board.

He formally accepted his appointment as a member of the MMCDC Advisory Board, pledging the council’s commitment to contribute intellectually, materially and humanly to the success of the Centre.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Maritime Media & Capacity Development Centre, Mr Sesan Onileimo, noted that the relationship between FMNL and CRFFN, which has existed for years, has remained cordial across successive administrations.

Onileimo emphasised that the relationship has further been strengthened following the appointment of Igwe as Registrar, whom he commended for his openness to engagement on industry issues.

He explained that FMNL has, for over a decade, organised the Annual Seminar for Maritime Journalists, a programme he said has contributed to improving maritime reporting and industry awareness.

Onileimo noted that this experience culminated in the establishment of the MMCDC “to equip maritime journalists and content creators with the requisite knowledge to report industry developments more authoritatively.”

He explained that the Centre was unveiled during activities marking the 10th anniversary of the Annual Seminar for Maritime Journalists, while the board was constituted to provide strategic direction.

Onileimo reiterated that CRFFN was selected to be on the board in view of its regulatory role and daily interaction with freight forwarders and other maritime stakeholders.

“An uninformed media is a danger to society. The aim is to raise practitioners who can engage industry issues with the same depth and authority as those they report,” Onileimo said.

The visit concluded with the presentation of the induction certificate to the Registrar, marking the commencement of enhanced collaboration between CRFFN, MMCDC and First Mediacon Network Limited.

CRFFN is a statutory regulatory agency established by the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria Act No. 16 of 2007, which was signed into law on 30 April 2007. The council was formally inaugurated and began operations in 2008 to oversee the freight forwarding profession and logistics sector in Nigeria. CRFFN’s core mandate is to regulate, control and standardise the practice of freight forwarding across Nigeria. This includes setting professional and ethical standards, maintaining registers of licensed practitioners, and promoting competence and best practices in the industry.