H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum meets the Board of NAFL

The National Association of Freight and Logistics (NAFL) recently paid a visit to H.H. Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Department of Civil Aviation, CEO and Chairman of The Emirates Group and Chairman of Dubai World, to introduce their new board, led by their President Ms. Nadia Abdul Aziz, who is also the first Emirati woman from the freight and logistics industry to run the association. The objective of the introductory meeting was to discuss latest initiatives of NAFL and consult H.H. Sheikh Ahmed Saeed Al Maktoum regarding the ambitious plan of winning the FIATA World Congress 2020 bid. They also discussed the possibility to have the regional office of FIATA in Dubai, keeping in mind the top infrastructure, connectivity and quality services the city has to support this initiative.

Under the leadership of Ms. Nadia Abdul Aziz, NAFL aims to reach newer and bigger heights in coming months. Ms.Nadia represents the ideal Emirati women who is playing a vital role in contributing to the advancement of the community and the economy. Her dedication and multi-faceted achievements makes her a role model for Emirati businesswomen in trading, logistics and corporate social responsibility. She is also the Chairperson of UNASCO (a 100% National UAE Company that works with international agents for global trade and cargo), the Chairwoman of WILATME (Women in Logistics and Transport, Middle East region- under the guidance of CILT leadership globally) and a member of Board of Governors for Al Noor Training Centre for Persons with Disabilities.

Ms Nadia supports women and new startup businesses by offering discounted rates for female owned businesses as well as SME’s through her family businesses and voluntary work she does for the community.

Ms Nadia aims to bring FIATA (International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations) World Congress to Dubai in 2020. If NAFL wins the bid to host the 2020 World Congress, it will place Dubai as a significant global hub in the freight and logistic landscape across the globe. And to win such a prestigious bid, the board will need full support of relevant government and semi government entities who will advise and support them to showcase the unique business opportunities in the UAE. During the meeting, NAFL members also appealed to have Emirates Airlines as the main carrier, under the jurisdiction of H.H.Sheikh Ahmed bin Saaed Al Maktoum.

The members took the opportunity to recommend Mr Abdullah bin Khediya -Head of Cargo Services, Dubai Airports to be the main senior supervisor on NAFL initiatives and work. H.H Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum gladly agreed. He also assured to extend full support, assist and advise the body in all its ventures.

Representing the industry

Ms. Nadia Abdul Aziz, President of NAFL said, “It’s our privilege to meet H.H and discuss the future plans for our organisation. I’m honored to represent the freight forwarding industry and confident to promote our vision of becoming a collective voice of the UAE’s logistics industry that sets the benchmark for best practices. As President of the NAFL, I will continue to advocate programs and activities of the Group that would encourage a much- needed venue for our local freight forwarders and logistics professionals to network and link up with their regional as well as international counterparts, which would hopefully bring about more pioneering projects that would again inspire great stories to tell about our country and the freight forwarding and logistics industries. The FIATA World Congress is one of the important agendas”

She further added, “We recently represented UAE in Africa-Addis Ababa and will represent the UAE logistics industry in Ireland at the FIATA Global World Congress too. We will focus always on promoting the UAE’s excellent infrastructure, airports, airlines, ports and logistic freezones to investors when we travel for global conferences. Our country has the top world class infrastructure and freezones to enable business owners to start up their business without any hassle in a few hours; it’s simple and effective for all foreign investors.

Vision of NAFL

NAFL was founded over 24 years ago to bring all the major players in the UAE freight forwarding, logistics and shipping industry under one body. NAFL’s mandate is to add value to their members by facilitating training programs and networking activities that will enhance not only business performance, but also maintain the UAE’s pre-eminence in the international freight and transportation fields, by conducting training at NAFL training center in association with the government and private entities, mainly focusing on Freight/cargo/international trade/ documentations/customs/air cargo/ sea cargo/ land transport Insurance/Dangerous goods handling along with other classes of sales/ finance/ management/leadership, innovation, courses, and all NAFL certifications are recognized by FIATA and KHDA authority in the UAE.

NAFL has signed various MOUs with eminent bodies and are partners with all major UAE government offices related to the industry as well as semi government entities.