Nosa Osula Aituamen
The President of the Association of Aviation Training Organizations of Nigeria (AATON), Mr. Bankole Bernard, has urged the Federal Government to review its policies on air cargo exports to enhance revenue generation and job creation.
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos, Mr. Bernard lamented the current policies’ ineffectiveness in achieving desired results.
He stressed the need for a comprehensive overhaul of the air cargo ecosystem, which he described as in disarray.
“The responsibility of the government is to formulate policy mot only to formulate policy but to create the necessary regulations within the industry”.
He highlighted the significant potential of air cargo exports to generate foreign exchange for the country.
The AATON President also suggested that many newly constructed airports, which may not attract substantial passenger traffic, could be strategically repurposed as cargo hubs, particularly for agricultural exports.
“It is a major investment and it has major opportunities. The good thing is that, those airports can be converted to cargo airports for moving goods out of the country but again, who is paying attention to it? Where are the warehouse at the airport to keep and preserve these goods? That is all that is necessary”.
Mr. Bernard encouraged stakeholders to actively invest in air cargo exports, emphasizing the importance of improved packaging to minimize the rejection of Nigerian exports due to poor quality.