Nigeria’s air freight logistics sector is experiencing fast development, pushed by rising e-commerce exercise and increasing commerce amongst small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Faisal Jarmakani, Managing Director of Aramex Nigeria, advised Nairametrics.
He estimated the market to be price over $8 billion, with exercise concentrated in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Kano, and Lagos dealing with the biggest share of volumes.
Having spent a decade working in Nigeria’s air freight sector, Aramex Nigeria has constructed important experience throughout key cargo corridors, giving it a robust perspective on the tendencies, challenges, and alternatives shaping the market.
In this unique interview with Nairametrics, Jarmakani mentioned the construction of Nigeria’s air freight ecosystem, the busiest cargo routes, operational and price challenges, bottlenecks in warehousing and last-mile supply, and the way expertise and infrastructure enhancements are influencing the following part of the sector’s development.
Nairametrics: Out of your perspective, what are the expansion prospects for air freight logistics in Nigeria, and what components are presently driving demand on this section?
Faisal Jarmakani: Nigeria’s air freight logistics market is already sizable, estimated at over $8 billion, with exercise closely concentrated round Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Kano, and Lagos accounting for the biggest share of volumes. This focus displays the place commerce, consumption, and worldwide connectivity are strongest.
From a development perspective, the outlook is medium-term. Demand fundamentals stay robust, and knowledge point out continued growth over the approaching years, although development will probably be uneven throughout routes and sectors.
The first drivers of this development are e-commerce and SME commerce. As extra Nigerian companies take part in cross-border commerce. We’re additionally seeing a notable improve in export volumes, pushed largely by Nigeria’s diaspora and the fast growth of B2B and C2C commerce channels.
These segments are rising exponentially and have a tendency to favor air freight due to shorter supply timelines and better cargo worth density.
Total, whereas infrastructure and price challenges stay, the demand facet for air freight in Nigeria is powerful and increasing, significantly for time-sensitive, high-value, and cross-border shipments.
Nairametrics: What are the important thing challenges holding again the expansion of air freight logistics within the nation, and which options do you imagine would make the most important distinction?
Faisal Jarmakani: The most important constraints to the expansion of air freight logistics in Nigeria are operational inefficiencies, value construction, and last-mile execution, with airport processing remaining probably the most important bottleneck.
First, inefficiencies in airport cargo processing considerably have an effect on turnaround occasions. These embody a number of clearance steps, overlapping regulatory businesses, documentation high quality points, bodily inspections, and—most significantly—the dearth of expertise integration throughout businesses.
To place this in context, in markets just like the UAE, when a cargo arrives at Dubai Worldwide Airport within the morning, it’s typically already out for supply by the afternoon. Nigeria nonetheless has a ways to cowl, however it is very important be aware that processing occasions have improved meaningfully in recent times, indicating that the nation is transferring in the fitting path.
The second main problem is value construction. Nigeria stays comparatively costly in comparison with neighboring West African nations throughout dealing with, aviation-related prices, and last-mile prices.
This has actual strategic implications, as some corporations more and more select different West African hubs to optimize prices, even when Nigeria is their main market.
The third key concern is fragmented addressing and last-mile supply challenges. Poor tackle high quality results in failed deliveries, larger return charges, and elevated value per cargo.
That is compounded by expertise gaps in real-time monitoring, reside supply updates, and proof of supply, all of which instantly impression buyer expertise and operational effectivity.
From a options standpoint, the most important good points would come from deeper digitization and inter-agency integration at airports, value rationalization by coverage and infrastructure enhancements, and technology-driven tackle validation and last-mile optimization.
Addressing these areas would considerably scale back variability, decrease prices, and unlock quicker, extra dependable air freight development in Nigeria.
Nairametrics: Primarily based on Aramex’s operations, which cargo routes are presently the busiest, and which routes have recorded the quickest development in recent times?
Faisal Jarmakani: In Aramex Nigeria’s air-express and air freight combine, the busiest worldwide inbound corridors are sometimes Asia, North America, and the UK/Europe, with China normally the biggest driver due to cross-border e-commerce and SME sourcing. The highest origin nations are China, USA, UK
- China → Nigeria lanes pushed by e-commerce parcels and SME replenishment,
- and UK/US ↔ Nigeria flows supported by diaspora-linked B2C and C2C delivery
Domestically, Lagos is our hub that feeds the highest locations like Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Kano.
Nairametrics: Air freight relies upon closely on coordination with different transport modes. How does Aramex combine heavy items automobiles, mild business automobiles, and bike couriers into its air freight operations?
Faisal Jarmakani: At Aramex, we place ourselves as each a logistics integrator and a technology-enabled firm, working an asset-light mannequin that enables us to keep extremely customer-centric whereas scaling effectively.
In Nigeria, our busiest air-linked cargo flows are anchored round Lagos, which serves as the first worldwide gateway, feeding home routes into main business and inhabitants facilities akin to Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Kano.
These corridors constantly carry the best volumes as a result of they mix worldwide imports and exports with robust home demand.
To assist these flows, Aramex has invested in main hubs and micro-hubs strategically positioned in Lagos, Ibadan, Benin, Port Harcourt, Abuja, and Kano. These services are operated and managed by Aramex, enabling tighter management over service high quality and turnaround occasions.
By way of development, the fastest-expanding routes are these linked to cross-border e-commerce and SME commerce, significantly inbound site visitors into Lagos that’s then distributed by these home corridors.
Our mannequin depends on deep partnerships with mid-mile and last-mile operators, which permits us to scale rapidly, optimize prices, and meet rising supply expectations with out heavy asset possession.
Nairametrics: The place are the most important inefficiencies in Nigeria’s multimodal logistics chain between airports, warehousing, and last-mile supply, and the way is Aramex strengthening its warehousing and fulfilment operations to assist rising e-commerce demand?
Faisal Jarmakani: One of many greatest inefficiencies in Nigeria’s multimodal logistics chain sits between airports/SeaPorts and fulfilment operations, significantly round warehousing capability
At this time, there’s a robust and rising demand for e-commerce and FMCG fulfilment, however the market nonetheless faces a scarcity of well-run, technology-enabled warehouses and fulfilment centres.
This hole creates friction after cargo clears the airport—shipments might arrive on time, however delays then happen because of restricted storage capability, handbook processes, poor stock visibility, or sluggish order processing.
This inefficiency cascades into the final mile, the place delayed handoffs from warehouses improve supply failures, increase prices, and impression buyer expertise. In lots of circumstances, the bottleneck is just not air transport itself, however what occurs instantly after cargo lands.
From our perspective, this problem additionally represents one of many greatest alternatives within the Nigerian logistics market. At Aramex, we’re investing closely in warehousing and fulfilment capabilities, specializing in course of self-discipline, employees coaching, and the fitting operational instruments—to assist our purchasers scale sustainably and meet rising shopper expectations.
By strengthening this airport-to-warehouse-to-last-mile connection, logistics suppliers can unlock important effectivity good points throughout the complete provide chain.
Nairametrics: Expertise performs a serious function in logistics effectivity. How does Aramex use expertise to enhance monitoring, turnaround occasions, and buyer expertise in Nigeria?
Faisal Jarmakani: Expertise is central to how Aramex improves effectivity and repair high quality, and we give attention to three issues clients care about most: visibility, pace, and buyer expertise.
On visibility, we offer real-time monitoring throughout the cargo journey, supported by proactive notifications and alerts. This offers clients confidence and reduces uncertainty, significantly for time-sensitive air freight and e-commerce shipments.
On pace, we use route optimization and tackle validation applied sciences to enhance courier productiveness and scale back failed supply makes an attempt. These instruments assist us shorten supply occasions, decrease value per cargo, and enhance first-attempt supply success, particularly in complicated city environments.
On buyer expertise, past digital self-service instruments, we’ve got invested closely in our buyer assist infrastructure. This consists of well-trained, customer-focused name heart groups, supported by expertise that enables us to trace interactions, measure efficiency, and repeatedly enhance response high quality and determination occasions.
Collectively, these expertise investments assist Aramex ship quicker turnaround occasions, higher transparency, and a extra constant buyer expertise throughout Nigeria.
Nairametrics: Wanting forward, how do you see Nigeria’s logistics and air cargo sector evolving over the following few years, and what function do you anticipate international logistics companies like Aramex to play in that development?
Reply: Wanting forward, Nigeria’s logistics and air cargo sector is about to develop steadily, pushed by rising commerce exercise, increasing e-commerce, and rising export potential.
The subsequent part of development will probably be much less about quantity alone and extra about functionality, reliability, and infrastructure maturity.
We anticipate continued give attention to air freight, supported by ongoing upgrades at Lagos airport and elevated consideration to cargo operations throughout different main airports. These developments are important not only for imports, however for constructing a robust export-enabling infrastructure.
With the fitting programs in place, Nigeria can considerably increase exports from SMEs, in addition to from sectors like vogue, meals, and agriculture, the place pace and product integrity are important.
World logistics companies like Aramex have an vital function to play on this evolution. Our focus is on investing in infrastructure, however equally on constructing a well-trained, well-equipped workforce that may assist rising commerce complexity.
Past transferring items, our function is to assist Nigerian companies join reliably to regional and international markets.
Nigeria has important pure sources, robust entrepreneurial power, and a vibrant artistic tradition. With bettering logistics capabilities, the nation is properly positioned to develop into a extra aggressive participant in worldwide commerce, and international logistics suppliers will probably be key companions in unlocking that potential.
