Effective planning of Shipment for Air freight transportation to Nigeria is developed to guide shippers, Freight forwarders, and Customs agents intending to deliver cargo using air freight service to Nigeria.
For safe, secure, and cost-saving air cargo service to Nigeria, follow these step-by-step guidelines to effectively plan your shipment for air freight transportation to Nigeria;
• Check if goods are permitted for importation by Air freight.
• Choose the right type of Air freight for shipment to Nigeria.
• Evaluating your supplier for competence and compliance.
• Understanding export requirements of shipment origin to Nigeria.
• Importer and freight forwarder obligations in Air freight projects.
• How to mitigate fraud and delays in Air freight Shipping.
Effective Planning of Shipment for Air freight to Nigeria
The business of logistics is one that requires effective planning especially when you consider that “In logistics operations, unexpected delays could pop up, even after one has put in place the best of strategy”. For a seamless delivery of air shipment to Nigeria, you must understand how air freight works. This guide will not only help you plan your shipment journey, but it will also help you to evaluate your supplier and freight agent for competence and compliance.
Planning as in every other project is also required in international Air freight transportation and logistics. Before you start creating any shipment for air carriage to Nigeria, I recommend that you follow standard air freight guidelines. Use Valuehandlers air freight guide to plan your shipment journey, save cost, enjoy speed, and mitigate future and unwanted bottlenecks that are common in international delivery.
Evaluating your supplier for competence and compliance
To send and safely receive your air shipment without delays in Nigeria, you need to first evaluate your supplier for competence and compliance in the following areas.
International supply knowledge: If your supplier lacks international supplier knowledge, the possibility that he may not be familiar with INCOTERMS is on the high side.
Packaging for International Delivery: Packaging is an essential part of international deliveries. It is important that you evaluate your supplier in this area. This is because some airlines may reject the package and may not load the shipment if it does not meet standard requirements or does not meet package for international air transport standards at the port of loading, and this may lead to delays since cargo will not be accepted for air carriage to Nigeria.
Knowledge of shipment Measurement: The information provided by your supplier in terms of shipment measurement determines how you calculate Airfreight cost and by extension, the entire estimated air shipping budget. The question you want to ask yourself will be whether your supplier understands the difference between actual weight and volume weight. This is because airlines use the higher actual weight or volume weight to rate air freight on packages for export to Nigeria. It is an international best practice. Check IATA rules on air shipment measurement.
Shipment Labelling: Labelling plays a major role in air freight transportation delivery. It helps Air carriers; ground handlers and government agencies identify the classification of cargo in transit and how to properly handle them to comply with IATA handling and safety regulations. Again, most customs consider improper labeling and/or not labeling at all as an offense and as such delay the clearance of the cargo at the port of discharge.
Documentation enclosed in Shipment: To avert delays in customs clearance (both at cargo origin and destination), it is strongly advised that freight forwarders enclose shipment documents in the cargo, especially those that detail technical information about the commodity for shipping.
Understanding export requirements of shipment origin to Nigeria
Every country has export regulations, which guide the international supply of goods and services. Again, different shipments attract different export requirements. We know from experience that export regulations if not well understood by the supplier will lead to delays in export from any country to Nigeria. We strongly advise shippers to learn more about the shipment export requirements of their country. Your supplier must not only know how international trade works, but he MUST also understand the basic air export requirements of his country.
Choose the right type of Air freight for shipment to Nigeria
Air freight offers a flexible freight solution that gives you options to select a specific date and can deliver airport to airport, door to door for most types of shipments, including boxes, palletized, and non-palletized cargo.
Air freight is subdivided into, Express air freight, Air Cargo, air Consolidation, and Air courier.
Express Air freight: This allows you to choose and book a specific date for your freight to be delivered to Nigeria. It can deliver sizes of cargo; small, medium, and large shipments whether palletized or not. You can add other services like pickup from suppliers, air export customs clearance, port-to-port, door-to-door, and import customs clearance.
Air cargo: Recommended for large packages. You can enjoy speed, convenience, and cheaper rates when you use air freight shipping options, ideal for Nigerian importers shipping equipment, Machineries, parts, tools, boxes, Cartons, manufacturers’ goods, dangerous goods, panels, medical devices (including MRI machine and Helium Gas), agricultural articles, oil and gas equipment, mining related items, merchandise and packages to Nigeria.
Air Freight Consolidation: This offers flexible logistic solutions from a few countries to Nigeria. Our Air freight consolidation offers all-inclusive shipping invoices. With consolidation air freight service, you don’t need to worry about customs clearance headaches as both costs of freighting and destination clearance are captured in a single shipping invoice. Choose our Cheap Shipping Service to Nigeria if you are looking for the cheapest air freight to deliver packages to Nigeria.
Air Courier/Parcel shipping: Our DHL discounted service offers delivery of documents, Bills of Lading, and small items that require urgent pick-up and delivery service from and to Nigeria. Our DHL high-speed delivery service is designed to ensure customer satisfaction and match your level of urgency.
Importer and freight forwarder obligations
Today, technology has made it so easy for importers to choose a freight forwarder who will not only serve in an advisory capacity but will also share some of the responsibilities and be accountable to the importer any time any day. This is not to say that importers are indemnified from liabilities since any action/inaction may lead all the stakeholders in the value chain into trouble. It is very important for both the importer and freight forwarder/agent to understand their individual responsibilities and obligations to achieve seamless delivery of shipments to destination port(s).
Definition of an Importer: An importer is an individual or a corporate entity who is in the business of procuring goods whether it involves money, or they are given free of charge, and transporting the procured commodities, whether for business or personal use from another country into his country of residence through the borders. (Adetayo George-Adewoye- August 2022).
Below are the responsibilities/obligations of an importer
• Understand the basic technical composition of commodities for shipment
• Conduct due diligence on the supplier
• Understand the time zone of supplying country
• Understand the basics of Incoterms (can be outsourced)
• Understands Commodity HS code (can be outsourced)
• Know and understand how best to communicate with the supplying country, including consideration of employing the service of an interpreter if required.
• Understand importing country’s basic regulations e.g NAFDAC, SONcap, customs, NESREA, etc. This can be known through his freight agent.
• Know and understand prevailing exchange rates and when to transact.
• Know how to manually calculate customs duty and other relevant levies
• Understand basic uses of technologies; email, calculators (time & currency), and other international business transaction tools and software.
NOTE: The majority of the responsibilities of importers can be outsourced to a professional freight forwarder like MGL Logistics.
Definition of a freight Forwarder: A freight forwarder is an individual or a corporate entity that has expertise in processing shipments for local or international transfer through air, sea, road, and rail transportation.
Below are the responsibilities/obligations of an Air freight forwarder
• Act as an advisor to the importer in, Incoterms, commodity HS codes, and import/export regulations and compliances.
• Support in the preparation of shipping quotations/budgets for, and on behalf of importers.
• Negotiate pocket-friendly freight rates from among options and schedule your shipment for booking with the airline,
• Receive the shipment(s) at the airport of destination,
• Process customs clearance at the airport of discharge.
• Understand the needs of the importer in terms of, budget, expenses, values, speed, and knowledge.
• Arrange the truck for delivery to the final consignee’s location.
How to mitigate against fraud and delays: There are a few steps you can take as an importer to avert issues relating to fraud or delays in air shipment processing from cargo origin, through cargo destinations.
How to Mitigate Fraud in freight shipping: Fraud does occur in international transactions, and not only in freight shipping. You can however mitigate fraud from happening if you take the following steps.
1. Ensure you have several conversations with the supplier.
2. Ensure your supplier uses webmail, as against other email ids.
3. Ensure all your conversations with the supplier and or freight agent are captured and documented, electronically.
4. If possible, get your supplier to have a video meeting that you can record with you.
5. Be careful with the kind of Volume transaction if the supplier is an individual. I strongly recommend that you do business only with corporate entities.
6. Ensure you take note of the internet IP address he uses from time to time. More than two IP addresses could just be a red flag.
7. Ensure he has a physical/registered business address where your forwarder can confirm and verify on your behalf.
8. Ensure that you don’t choose a freight agent that is poor in communication/customer service.
9. Make sure the forwarder/supplier has a functional website. You can verify the Genuity of any website on the Scam Adviser site.
10. Be careful when dealing with roadside or under-the-bridge freight agents at the ports.
11. Be careful when it’s too cheap / too good to be real
12. Never settle for a cash transfer by Money-gram or Western Union, and never send money to an individual bank account.
How to Mitigate Delays in Freight Shipping: There are many factors that can lead to shipping delays or shipment delivery to Nigeria. Most delays can be averted if there is a proper plan and an adequate understanding of the processes. You can reduce and/or avert delays in shipment delivery if you;
1. Plan, even before cargo ready time. Start talking with an air freight agent, even before cargo ready time. Some export documents from shipment origin take between 2 – 20 days to process. Read evaluating your supplier for competence and compliances above.
2. Review payment terms from time to time. You need to know when to pay your supplier and begin to arrange for payment ahead. Most international suppliers don’t take the issue of money lightly.
3. Ensure your shipping documentation are available on time. Airlines require form M number and BA number to book cargo on air freight to Nigeria. Your freight agent can support you in shipping documentation, including opening an e-form M and generating form M no for use by airlines.
