The Unveiling of 2017 Nigerian Logistics & Supply Chain Industry Report

Mr. Hassan Bello – Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer Nigerian Shippers Council (3rd right) and Dr.Obiora Madu – Director General ACSC (right), flanked by L-R: Ordor Maria Ubong AGM Cabin Safety Nigerian Civil Avaition; Mr. Lekan Ogunbowale, representative of Lagos state Govt; Mr. Appolo Goma – E.D Operations BabbanGona Farmer Services Ltd.; Cornel U Ogueri, representative of Major-General R.C Duru – Commandant Nigerian Army College of Logistics and Mr. Ocholi Etu – Divisional Managing Director, Red Star Logistics at the unveiling of The 2017 Nigerian logistics & Supply Chain Industry Report. Photo: Moov Logistics News

Lagos (Moov Logistics News) – The Unveiling of the 2017 Nigerian logistics & Supply Chain Industry Report, a yearly event organized by African Centre for supply chain (ACSC) held in Lagos yesterday December 7, 2017 at Protea Hotel GRA Ikeja, Lagos.

Unveiling the report, the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) said: “I hope that from now the issue of logistics will be brought to the fore because we have a fair representation here. The Army, historically the mother of logistics is here ably represented by its Director of Logistics and we have an array of practitioners from the private sector. The private sector drives the logistics initiatives.”

The Minister of Transport, Rt Hon Rotimi Amaechi, who was billed to grace the occasion as the keynote speaker was not present, however, the Executive Secretary of NSC enjoined the organizers to ensure the report reach the ministry, noting that their absence must be due to logistics reasons.

Nigerian logistics & Supply Chain Industry Report is a private sector initiative organized by ACSC in conjunction with Mulitimix Academy and this year’s event is the second in the series of the annual event that commenced in 2016. 

The event commenced with the opening remarks from the chief organizer and Director General, African Centre for Supply-Chain, Dr. Obiora Madu, who said that “The major focus of the report is finding out why Nigeria has relapsed again after a strong outing in global trade logistics performance in 2014.”

“From 121st position to 75th (2014) and then a downward slip of 15 positions to 90th (2015) in the World Bank Logistics Performance Index. Nigeria is ranked 169 (2016) among 190 economies in the ease of doing business, according to the latest World Bank annual ratings.”

“Logistics and Supply chain is fast becoming the number one focus for development and economic growth opportunities. Nigeria needs to invest heavily in transport and logistical infrastructure to support and enable the economic growth that awaits the nation. Our logistics infrastructure is insufficient, ill-equipped, ill-designed to support expected growth rates in the economy,” Dr. Obiora said.

The Director-General of ACSC said: “Logistics affects the cost structure and revenues of Nigerian producers, their competitiveness in areas such as delivery times and product quality, and the responsiveness of producers to consumer requirements “

Dr. Obiora also gave a brief introduction of ACSC as an advocacy platform for the business and practice of logistics and supply-chain with presence in Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya and South Africa.

He went further to reveal that the reason behind establishing the ACSC was due to the challenges faced by the logistics and supply chain industry across Africa.

ACSC has a membership strength of 194, made up of 41 fellows, 132 individual members, 5 corporate members, 4 Associate members and 12 student members.

According to Dr. Obiora, Africa constitutes 20% of the world population but Africa’s contribution to global trade is less than 4%, while Africa’s business potentials have shifted dramatically in recent years. Supply-chain he said: “has become the number one focus for development and economic growth opportunities.”

“Africa needs to invest heavily in transport and logistical infrastructure to support and enable the economic growth that awaits the continent. The need for a continental platform to drive the development and promotion of supply chain practice in Africa became necessary hence the reason why ACSC was established.”

The DG ended his opening remarks by challenging everyone in the industry for support to the pursuit in Nigeria “for a National logistics policy that would serve as a guide to the industry to be established.”

The Chairman of the Governing Council of The African Centre for supply chain (ACSC). Dr. A. G. Sumaila said in his foreword of the unveiling brochure that annual publication of the Logistics and supply-chain Industry Report “serves as an illuminating search-light necessary for strengthening and catalyzing our national efforts at increasing the ease of doing business in Nigeria.”

“This edition which is the second in the series gives further expression to the robustness of the logistics and supply chain factor as a national economic growth index.”

Prior to the unveiling, The 2017 Industry Report was reviewed by the Deputy National Secretary of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, Mr. Alban Igwe.

Mr. Igwe gave an extensive review of what the report addressed, which included the issues the aviation and maritime industries are facing; survey report of transportation logistics and supply chain Management in Nigerian and globally as well as the overall performance of the Industry.

The event was well attended by professionals in the logistics and supply-chain industry, which included the Executive Secretary /Chief Executive Officer Nigerian Shippers Council Mr. Hassan Bello; a representative of Lagos State government; the publisher of Moov Logistics News, Mr. Larry Chinekezi; the Chairman of Courier and Logistics Management Institute, Dr. Simon Emeje Ph.D.; fellows of the institute; among others.

Excellence awards were given to some states and government agencies in  Nigeria for their 2016 Budgetary allocation to logistics and positive influence on logistics and supply chain.

The awardees were Lagos State (South-West zone); Cross River State (South-South zone); Kwara State (North-Central zone); Sokoto State (North-West zone); Ebonyi State (South-East zone) and Borno (North-East zone).

Awardees on the government agency category were Nigerian Shippers’ Council – Most Innovative Public Sector Reformer; Nigerian Maritime and Safety Agency (NIMASA) – African Maritime Agency of the Year; and Bank of Industry – Africa’s Development Finance of the Year.

Another special highlight of the occasion was the investiture of new fellows of the institute. The new fellows admitted into the African Centre for supply-chain (ACSC) for 2017 include Mr. Hassan Bello (Executive Secretary /Chief Executive Officer Nigerian Shippers Council); Major General Richard Chikendu Duru (Commandant of Nigeria Army College Of Logistics) and Professor Charles Obiora Omekwu (former Librarian University of Nigerian Nsukka).

Also conferred with fellow of the African Centre for supply-chain (ACSC) were Chief Chris Oranu (Founder Chairman Krsisoral Group of Companies); Mr. Appolo Goma (ED BabbanGona Farmer Services Ltd); Mr. Bashir Yusuf Jamoh (Executive Director, Admin & Finance, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency – NIMASA); Caleb Usoh (Country Manager/Deputy Managing Director, OCP Africa Fertilizers Ltd.) and Mr. Uma Obasi (Head of Supply Chain of Nigeria, OCP Africa Fertilizers Ltd.)

Membership of the African Centre for supply-chain (ACSC) was also conferred on 13 new members at the event.