By Martha Agas
The Sea Empowerment and Research Centre (SEREC) has called for the establishment of a National Cargo Consolidation Policy Framework to ensure effective implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
SEREC made the call in its January bulletin made available to newsmen by its Head of Research, Dr Eugene Nweke on Wednesday in Abuja.
Nweke noted that inspite Nigeria’s market size, production base and strategic location, the country remained logistically under-prepared for effective participation in the AfCFTA.
He said that although Nigeria’s accession to the AfCFTA represented one of the most significant economic integration opportunities in the nation’s modern history, strong logistics systems was needed for effective trade.
“Structural deficiencies in road haulage, port evacuation, inland connectivity, and most critically cargo aggregation and consolidation, continue to inflate trade costs and weaken Nigerian shippers’ competitiveness within Africa.
“This paradox rising trade opportunity constrained by weak logistics demonstrates that cargo consolidation is a missing, yet a decisive policy lever required to translate AfCFTA aspirations into practical trade outcomes, “he said.
The SEREC offcial underscored the importance of cargo consolidation as a strategic trade and employment enabler under AfCFTA.
He described cargo consolidation as not merely a logistics practice, but a national economic instrument without which, Nigeria could remain a passive AfCFTA signatory.
Nweke explained that cargo consolidation, which involved combining smaller shipments into larger and more cost-efficient freight units, had been globally recognised as a key driver of trade competitiveness, particularly for emerging economies and SME-led export markets.
According to him, with it, Nigeria can become a continental trade anchor, reducing logistics costs, creating jobs, retaining freight value and empowering indigenous operators.
He said that without structured consolidation, Nigerian exporters faced higher per-unit freight costs, irregular sailings and flights, indirect routing through non-African hubs and loss of delivery-time competitiveness.
He noted that cargo consolidation in Nigeria was largely ad hoc, import-focused and underdeveloped, allowing foreign companies to benefit more while the country missed out on trade-related economic gains.
“At present, indigenous freight forwarders lack policy-backed consolidation platforms, foreign integrators dominate high-value consolidation and express segments and Nigerian cargo is often consolidated offshore, resulting in value leakage.
“This reality undermines freight forwarding professional development, indigenous logistics capital formation and national trade sovereignty under AfCFTA,” he said.
A structured cargo consolidation ecosystem, he said, would unlock significant direct and indirect employment, as each hub functions as a logistics cluster, multiplying economic activity around ports and airports.
He said that in airfreight, consolidation enables access to lower weight-break tariffs, scheduled African trade lanes and predictable cargo volumes for airlines.
Nweke added that shipping consolidation enables regular short-sea African services, supports container pooling for SMEs and improves port throughput efficiency.
Nigerian airlines, he said, should be deliberately encouraged to migrate, wholly or partially, from passenger-focused operations to dedicated airfreight services.
The move, he said, was premised on the fact that air cargo provides more stable revenue streams and was less sensitive to seasonal travel volatility,
In addition, he said cargo aircraft utilisation aligned better with Nigeria’s export needs and dedicated freighters support night operations and regional hubs.
“This migration will improve airline sustainability, reduce dependence on foreign carriers and anchor Nigeria’s leadership in African air cargo, “it said.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Gabriel Yough
