From left, Chairman, NACCIMA Export Group, Barr. Kola Awe; Ag. DC, NAHCO Warehouse, Asst. Comptroller of Customs, Yusuf Tukur; Director–General, NACCIMA, Engr. Sola Obadimu; Group Executive Director, CBD, NAHCO Plc, Prince Saheed Lasisi; Produce Officer 1, Federal Produce Inspection Office, Mrs. Unyime John Akpan; CEO, Petlizzy Global Limited, Mrs. Elizabeth Ajayi and Senior Produce Officer, Mr Donald Chigozie at the NAHCO/NACCIMA SME Export Engagement & Capacity Building Forum which held on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, in Lagos.
…NAHCO Sits at the Centre of the Export Value Chain, Says ED, Lasisi
The Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (nahco aviance), has renewed its commitment to boosting the nation’s non-oil revenues.
The Company gave this assurance Tuesday when it held a capacity building forum on export processing for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in Lagos.
The Group Executive Director, Business & Business Development, NAHCO Plc, Prince Saheed Lasisi, who spoke at the event said NAHCO has keyed into and is contributing to Federal Government’s realization of the vision of a 1 trillion-dollar economy by 2030.
“A major focus of the government in achieving this goal is commodity exports. And to record the needed volume in commodity exports, the nation needs the small and medium enterprises (SMEs),” Lasisi declared.”
Lasisi said NAHCO recognises the contribution SMEs make to national development and is charting the way forward in preparing them for foreign markets.
He pointed out however that SMEs needed to build capacity in export processing because exporting agro products and commodities requires strong logistics and handling backbone and that NAHCO sits at the centre of the export value chain.
He explained that the company serves as the link between exporters, airlines, and regulators. In this role, NAHCO will provide necessary guidance in cargo handling, including in areas of the quality of Product preservation, regulatory compliance, on-time flight connections, and acceptance requirements by international buyers.
Prince Lasisi, in his presentation, also detailed the specialized packaging required for perishable and sensitive items.
“We have provided, with FAAN’s approval, a proper packaging facility in the airport area. Our packaging area is in the NAHCO Export Packaging and Processing Centre (NEPPC), the only one of its kind in Nigeria, and we started operations in July last year. NAHCO also has an Export Desk that provides support for exporters,” he explained.
In his paper at the event, Chairman, NACCIMA Export Group, Kola Awe Esq, said NACCIMA has put in place initiatives designed to assist smaller businesses.
He said, “We have created the NACCIMA Export Support Centre for MSMEs. The average exporter faces a lot of challenges. A lot of exporters are finding it difficult to scale their businesses because of so many challenges. Multinationals are faring better than MSMEs because they have the financial might to take on any issues they might face in exporting.”
According to him, “A lot of aircraft come into Nigeria full but they leave empty. The government is trying to organise air export business so that aircrafts\ can leave the country filled with Nigerian goods.”
While sharing industry insights on managing MSMEs within the Nigerian landscape, the MD/CEO, Burcont Shipping Nigeria Limited, Dr. Akin Oladipupo, commended the organizers for the collaborative effort, stating, “I want to thank NACCIMA and NAHCO for giving us this great event and for making us come together to discuss about this industry. There are billions of naira in the farming and agricultural industry that are untapped. What is Nigeria really doing about our food exports into other countries?”
He said a forum such as the NAHCO/NACCIMA forum would proffer solutions to this problem.Present at the event were important government agencies critical for agro export.
They include the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service NAQS), National Agency for Food Administration and Control (NAFDAC), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Federal Produce Inspection Office (FPIS), Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) and the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).Also present were airlines and logistic partners including Turkish Cargo, Lufthanza, Qatar Airways, Kenya Airways, Rwand Air, DHL, Burcont Logistics and NAGAFF.
