Olubunmi Kuku, the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), recently highlighted the cargo business as a key area of focus for the agency.
She commended the efficient operations of Mallam Aminu Kano Airport in Kano, Jos Airport, and the Gateway International Airport in Ilishan, Ogun State, which have effectively leveraged their aerodromes to promote cargo-related activities.
Kuku emphasized that FAAN’s strategy is not limited to investing in physical infrastructure but also involves creating a comprehensive feeder system that covers the entire cargo value chain.
She said: “There are various segments of cargo. I think agro and pharma are two critical areas that we have been looking at. Agro is specifically around making sure that there’s food security, so the distribution of food items in the market, specifically within Nigeria, and certain items that can be exported.
“What that means is that in terms of the bottom of the chain, the value systems, making sure that the states are working very closely with DFIs in terms of aggregating the products or the produce that need to go out, making sure that you’re sort of aggregating a database that also focuses on packaging, logistics, also testing labs around some of those airports so that we can at least start to drive a lot more cargo activity.”
To drive economic activities to many of the idle airports, the FAAN MD said there was a need to improve the infrastructure linkage to the airport facilities by ensuring a collaboration between FAAN and the state government by fixing the road network that leads into the airports including the transit facilities that are available.
According to her, I’ll give some examples like the case with the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja has a rail line that terminates at the airport.
It makes it easier for people to come here, whether they are travelling passengers or to conduct economic activity at the airport. We recently had a meeting with the Lagos State government last week.
They do have a road that is coming in from Alimosho, which will also open up the area. “So the linkage is very important in terms of making sure that we can drive this activity. Alright. The third is really around transit hubs. So let me just wrap up very quickly. It’s establishing certain locations and transit hubs.
Lagos and Abuja, of course, are the main areas that we’re looking at. And I mentioned earlier, which is also to prioritise the cargo exports.” She explained that the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, had at different fora expressed the commitment of FAAN for public-private partnership to drive the transformation of these airports that they are looking at.
She reiterated that a public-private partnership was required for the concession of some of the airports. She said she was glad that Keyamo and her were on the same page on the airport concession project and that private sector participation is required.
“A hybrid model is what we’ve preached for. And that’s making sure that for the commercial activities, we’re able to commercialize those.
