Femi Adewunmi, founder and MD of PrimePort Logistics, a Port Harcourt based Logistics Company specialising in clearing, forwarding and haulage has said building the right structures and having people will the right mindset is key to building success air cargo business and cargo freighting in Nigeria.
Adewunmi said that the pandemic impacted air cargo operations and logistics businesses in Nigeria but resilient companies such as Primeport has since leveraged it’s people and structures to sustain their operations.
“There is a need to reposition ourselves so we do not get struck in COVID-19 challenges. Recovery is coming. It may be slow but it is coming but it is only people with a positive mind-set that can tap into this. Some people who are not ready to reposition themselves for the progress coming in future, will not be prepared or ready. COVID-19 gave us the opportunity to reposition ourselves, we did the training and the things we needed to do,” he said.
He said that facilities that enhance cargo freighting in Nigeria can be better but facilities alone cannot guarantee efficient cargo operations.
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“You can have all the equipment and technology but if you do not have the right mindset, culture and people etc, then you can’t even optimize the type of equipment you have. The first thing is to optimize. Yes, we need the equipment but we need the right mindset and people,” he stressed.
Adewunmi explained that the cargo freight market is a very large market because Nigeria is import-dependent, as the country does not do a lot of local manufacturing and even the ones done locally still require equipment and spare parts.
“Cargo freight market is a huge market. It has a direct impact on the economy and people’s lives. So how efficient and streamlined that process is, it has a direct impact on your business. So when everything comes to one point, it needs to get distributed properly. It is a very big, critical and competitive industry. It is very critical to Nigeria’s development,” he said.
Speaking on how profiting the business is in Nigeria, he said, “It can be very profitable if you are doing it the right way. It is all about the value you bring into the process. The value you bring gives you the opportunity to make money. In every sector, there are opportunities but it’s the value that you are able to extract, and transfer to the end users that gives you the room to make money.”
