Freight forwarding training should be localised – CRFFN Registrar

The Registrar/CEO, Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), Mr. Igwe Kingsley Onyekachi, has observed that training of freight forwarder should be localised.

Onyekachi said instead of teaching him principles of business management, he should be taught the nitty-gritties of customs practises and procedures as they applied in Nigeria.

The CRFFN Registrar/CEO made this observation during a panel discussion at the Freight Forwarders Group Conference at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), on Wednesday July 24, 2025.

Onyekachi said upon assuming office he found that the educational contents of freight forwarding were lacking because they were not locally domesticated.

According to him, “the freight forwarding, of course, is  capital-intensive project. And that is why it is required to professionalise freight forwarders, just like we have started in recent times.

“You cannot professionalise freight forwarders without proper or skilling them through education and training.

“We find out that the educational contents are lacking because they are not locally domesticated. Most times what we teach them are even foreign-based, which is not out of place. But we need to localise it by developing local content.”

The CRFFN boss added “For example, if I have to teach or train a custom agent so he can be professional in discharging and applying local rules and regulations that apply to the service he does, I shouldn’t be teaching him principles of business management,  rather I should be teaching him the nitty-gritties of customs practises and procedures as applied in Nigeria.”