Viability of Cargo Airports and Agro-Exports to be Discussed at CHINET 2022

The future of cargo airports and their viability will be the focus of Day 2 at Chinet 2022 event. Captain John Okakpu an export guru and the driver of many Agro-export projects in Nigeria will head the discussions on the viability of these airports and their utilization for Agro-exports.

Thirteen federal airports have been designated as cargo airports and 5 have recently been listed for concessioning. About 10 state owned cargo airports are also coming on stream.

How does Nigeria harmonize and utilize these assets to grow Agro-exports will be the topic of discussion by a high quality panel assembled by the organisers at the second edition of Chinet aviation and cargo conference.

The event scheduled to hold on the 7th and 8th September 2022 in Lagos is expected to have in attendance captains of industries in aviation, logistics, exports, transport and government agencies in export related field.

Chinet 22 will discuss the Role of Cargo Airports, Insurance and Finance in the Development of a National Aviacargo Export Master Plan for Nigeria.

The regulators and operators of the Aviacargo ecosystem in Nigeria are confirming their participation in the event. This includes the National Agency for Food and Drug Control, NAFDAC, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Export Processing Zone Authority (NEPZA) and the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM).

The first day of the event will dwell on financing of aviation and cargo in Nigeria with insurance being a key issue for discussion.

The financing session involving airlines and banks will be moderated by Dr. Alex Nwuba a pilot, airline operator and a financial advisor. Leading insurance heavyweights have been lined up to discuss the role of insurance in the growth of aviation and cargo in Nigeria.

Leading the pack in the insurance sector is the newly elected President of the African Insurance Brokers Association (AIBA) and Chairman, Boff & Co. Insurance Brokers Ltd, Chief Babajide Olatunde-Agbeja, a seasoned expert in the industry. Chief Olatunde-Agbeja is a thorough bred insurance guru of many years and an experience aviation insurance expert.

The executives of leading insurance companies and top insurance brokers are expected to join the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) to discuss the roles of the different components of insurance in the development of aviation in Nigeria.

The insurance session will be driven by two lead speakers and discussants of the highest calibre. This will be the most robust discussion on insurance and aviation in Nigeria. Airline executives will be on hand to discuss with the insurance gurus in what promises to be an educative session.

Nigerian airlines have been victims of high insurance premiums due to some factors bedevilling the aviation sector. There is a growing perception of exploitation of airlines by Nigerian insurance companies.

Nigerian airlines allege that the law preventing Nigerian airlines from using foreign insurers is punitive and is now a weapon of intimidation by Nigerian insurers who lack adequate capacity to insure a brand new aircraft but still charge high premium.

It is alleged that Nigerian airlines pay the highest premiums in Africa.