The Anambra State government-owned airport, Anambra International Cargo and Passenger Airport, AICPA, has developed a master plan to engage cargo consolidators locally and internationally to grow its economy hub through exportation of locally made products.
The coordinator of Avia-cargo Roadmap Committee, Ikechi Uko, stated that the setup has 20 cargo airports in Nigeria, but there is need to increase the volume of cargo, especially agri-produce from Nigeria to boost foreign exchange and create jobs for Nigerians.
Accordingly, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Ghana among other countries are during better in terms of cargo exportation; and for Nigeria to increase its export of farm produce, it had to adopt a new strategy, which include finding out what the international market needs, cultivating crops following standard processes as every produce that would be exported has a known origin or provenance.
Uko added that, many cargo planes that arrives Nigeria to drop products returned empty because Nigeria does not have much to export, and not able to use what we have invested to solve our problems.
However, about 12 companies have already submitted applications for the construction of cargo warehouses, Fixed Base Operation, FBO, Maintenance and Repairs Operation, MRO, Aircraft Fuel Dump and others.
The companies include, Air Peace, Link Global, Master Energy, Conoil, CITA, Afreximbank, Jkpeez Impex, Ndano Energy, Global Clean-Up, Folio, Zion Marines Ltd, Bachanam.
However, AICPA, Managing Director, Martins Nwafor said that the major policy thrust of Anambra international cargo and passenger airport is well-organized air cargo operations, handling, and effective domestic passenger satisfactory flights and effective facilitations.
He stated that, “AICPA had its demonstration flight on the 30th of April, 2021, which saw three airplanes of different sizes landing and taking off successfully. And have developed an airport master plan which clearly defined and designated a location for the constructions, having taken into consideration the available agro-allied products that can be exported from Anambra to other international and domestic market”.
“For third party businesses, AICPA provides land spaces in line with its’ commercial and investment policy guidelines for leases and Rentals. Request by some organization for land space lease to develop cargo warehouses is also being considered”.
Nwafor noted that two airlines (Air Peace and United Nigeria Airlines) are currently operating scheduled operations in the state with other operators that have been invited which include Dana Air, Ibom Air, Valu-jet, X-jet, Kanem Air, Aero Contractors, Arik Air, Green Africa Airways, Rano Air, Azman and Max Air for domestic operations.
International cargo operations with Ethiopian Airlines are also yet to be concluded.
