Optimizing Freight Forwarding Across Road, Rail, and Maritime Systems for Speed and Cost-Effectiveness
Abstract
Nigeria and the broader West African sub-region continue to grapple with significant inefficiencies in freight forwarding operations arising from modal disconnections, high transit costs, poor intermodal infrastructure, regulatory bottlenecks, and inadequate digital integration across road, rail, and maritime systems. This study aims to identify and evaluate the principal strategies and operational frameworks for optimizing multimodal freight forwarding with a focus on improving delivery speed and reducing overall logistics costs. Adopting a systematic review and analytical approach, data were synthesized from published literature, freight logistics reports, and a structured questionnaire survey administered to logistics professionals across Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Kano. Principal Component Factor Analysis reveals that digital technology adoption (Eigen value: 28.47%), intermodal infrastructure investment (Eigen value: 23.82%), and regulatory harmonization (Eigen value: 18.91%) constitute the principal optimization levers, contributing a cumulative Eigen value of 71.20% to freight forwarding performance improvement. Analysis of Variance confirms statistically significant differences in the optimization contributions of these variables (F = 21.34 > F-crit = 4.26; P = 0.00008). Policy recommendations include the development of a National Intermodal Freight Optimization Framework , strategic investment in Inland Container Depots , mandatory digitization of freight documentation, and harmonization of regulatory protocols across modal transport authorities in Nigeria.
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