In a recent exclusive interview with The Prestige Blended Magazine<\/em>, the Director General of the Sea Empowerment & Research Center (SEREC)<\/strong>, Francis Uchechukwu Aniezechukwu<\/strong>, shared his expert insights on port modernization, digital transformation in trade facilitation, and challenges facing Nigeria\u2019s freight forwarding industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aniezechukwu, who is also a clergy, author, social activist, and customs broker, emphasized that while technological advancement is critical to modern trade operations, sustainable progress requires stronger coordination, accountability, and stakeholder capacity building across agencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Aniezechukwu, freight forwarders in Nigeria are currently contending with structural and operational challenges that limit efficiency and competitiveness within the maritime sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He identified key issues such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n He stressed that establishing a dedicated national regulatory agency for freight forwarders would enhance professionalism, promote ethical conduct, harmonize operations, and strengthen their role as key partners in trade facilitation and national revenue generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Commenting on the performance of the immediate past Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the PTML Command, Dr. Aniezechukwu rated it as \u201cabove average,\u201d noting that his tenure laid a strong foundation through the B. Odogwu Modernization Project<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He added that while improvements are ongoing, the progress achieved so far provides a framework for continuity and future enhancement of efficiency and infrastructure at the port.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While acknowledging that Customs Area Controllers are primarily accountable to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Ministry of Finance, Aniezechukwu emphasized that their duties are also guided by international frameworks such as the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA)<\/strong> and the Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He noted that current leadership at PTML, under Comptroller Joe Anani<\/strong>, is expected to uphold principles of transparency, efficiency, and collaboration with stakeholders in line with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aniezechukwu expressed confidence that Comptroller Anani\u2019s experience will further strengthen trade facilitation, transparency, and automation within port operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aniezechukwu commended Grimaldi Shipping<\/strong> for its operational advancements, including the launch of the direct China\u2013Nigeria shipping service<\/strong> and its efforts toward environmental compliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, he also highlighted areas needing review \u2014 such as restricted access cards and demurrage charges during system downtimes. He praised ongoing dialogue between freight forwarder associations and Grimaldi management for achieving progress in these areas, emphasizing that continuous stakeholder engagement<\/strong> is key to ensuring fair, transparent, and efficient port operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On broader reform measures, Aniezechukwu commended the Federal Government\u2019s ongoing modernization initiatives \u2014 including new scanning equipment, the Blue Economy Initiative<\/strong>, and the National Single Window Project<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He noted that while infrastructure and digital tools are being deployed, the critical next step is capacity building<\/strong> across all levels:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTechnology has been provided; what remains is human capacity, inter-agency synergy, and accountability,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n He recommended:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Francis Uchechukwu Aniezechukwu reaffirmed that the success of Nigeria\u2019s port modernization depends not just on technology, but on institutional cooperation, accountability, and stakeholder empowerment<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Through continued research, policy advocacy, and private sector collaboration, SEREC remains committed to promoting a sustainable, efficient, and globally compliant maritime transport system \u2014 in line with its mission:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPursuing Marine Transport Development via Empowerment.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In a recent exclusive interview with The Prestige Blended Magazine, the Director General of the Sea Empowerment & Research Center (SEREC), Francis Uchechukwu Aniezechukwu, shared his expert insights on port modernization, digital transformation in trade facilitation, and challenges facing Nigeria\u2019s freight forwarding industry. Aniezechukwu, who is also a clergy, author, social activist, and customs broker,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1249,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/seaempowerment.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1287"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/seaempowerment.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/seaempowerment.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seaempowerment.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seaempowerment.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1287"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/seaempowerment.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1287\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1288,"href":"https:\/\/seaempowerment.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1287\/revisions\/1288"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seaempowerment.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1249"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/seaempowerment.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seaempowerment.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seaempowerment.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1287"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seaempowerment.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpost_folder&post=1287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\n\n\nFreight Forwarding Challenges in Nigeria<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nOn the Performance of PTML Command Leadership<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nExpectations from the Current PTML CAC<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nOn Grimaldi Shipping\u2019s Operations<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nRevitalizing Nigeria\u2019s Port Industry<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nConclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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