The Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (nacho aviance) has worked on the processes at its export warehouse to enhance agric exports.
The group managing director and chief executive officer of the company, Mrs. Olatokunbo Fagbemi disclosed this while speaking at Gateway Forum organised by the League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC), in Lagos recently.
She said the ground handling firm was in partnership with state governments and other stakeholders to grow agric exports from its multi-million warehouse facility in Lagos.
“We have arranged our facilities to ensure safety and security. Consequently, there is more encouragement for agric exports. We are partnering with different state governments, stakeholders to see how best we can push agric exports. We have done some things with the Kano State government.
“One thing we have realised is that if you don’t harvest (farm produce) in a particular way; if you don’t package it in a particular way, your goods get destroyed.
“We are passionate about that; that is why we are partnering with stakeholders so that people will understand how best we can up the value of agric export. If more people get it right, more people will be in the business,” she said.
On the impressive Q3 performance wherein the company garnered gross revenue of N7.38 billion, Fagbemi attributed the achievement to investment in newer ground handling equipment, focused marketing strategies as well as improvement in its processes.
She disclosed that the company had spent N2 billion on equipment since January adding that the essence of investing in equipment is to support airlines.
“As you invest in newer equipment you have better efficiency,” she added.
Besides, she said the company controls 63 per cent of the ground handling market share adding that company would take delivery of more ground handling equipment.
On the training of staff to avoid airside incident, she said the company has an in-house audit and regular pep talks with the staff.
“We have what we call ‘Pep Talk’ daily, weekly, monthly and yearly. If you are not trained on any particular equipment, you are not allowed to operate it,” she said.
In the area of drug trafficking where some ground handling staff collude with drug traffickers to plant drugs on the luggage of passengers, Fagbemi said the company ensures that its staff follow Standard Operating Procedure in handling passengers including collaboration with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN and other agencies at the airport to ensure such things do not happen.
While commending FAAN for enhancing security and passenger’s checks at the Kano Airport after the incident involving some ground handling staff who connived with drug barons to plant hard drugs in passenger’s luggage, Fagbemi said the incident had led to significant change in the discharge of duties by all stakeholders.
“Aviation security is doing what it should and everybody has now taken up their roles better than they were doing. I think that is the benefit of that unfortunate incident. So, out of it something good has happened and I hope that this will continue,” said Fagbemi.
