CHAMP Cargosystems today announced that seven freight carriers operating to and from Nigeria, including Cargolux, are using its solution to comply with Nigeria’s new advanced customs information requirements. Under the regulations, announced July 14th with immediate effect, an electronic manifest must be submitted to Nigerian customs prior to the flight departing for Nigeria.

CHAMP Cargosystems worked quickly to develop its solution based on the highly successful Global Customs Gateway platform, which is already used for a number of customs authorities around the world and is ready for the new EU ICS (import control system) regulations starting January 2011. Designed for fast implementation, CHAMP has developed, tested and certified each airline’s system within days, enabling them to resume flights to Nigeria.

James Fernandez, CHAMP vice president sales and marketing, said: “According to the latest figures from IATA, freight in Africa grew 54% in June. Given that growth, no carrier wants to be blocked from this important market. I am delighted that our dedicated team of customs experts managed to get air cargo moving back into Nigeria within days. It is a prime example of how CHAMP responds quickly and effectively to help air trade.”

Robert Van de Weg, senior vice president sales and marketing, Cargolux Airlines, said: “Thanks to the quick and accurate response by CHAMP we were able to resume our Nigerian operation. This was a real achievement.”

The US was the first country to demand advanced customs information (ACI), following the events of 9/11. The introduction of the new regulations in Nigeria shows that ACI is gaining momentum globally. Other countries that have either implemented, or are in the process of implementing, ACI regulations include Canada, EU member states, China, Mexico and South Africa.