The federal government, through the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy is developing a blueprint that would clarify port infrastructural development, regulate tariffs and automation processes at Nigerian ports.
The Executive Secretary of Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Barr. Pius Akutah revealed this during a tour of some seaport terminals in Lagos on Thursday.
Akutah opined that after addressing these challenges in the maritime industry the government will be able to optimize the $1trillion economic growth, accruable from the sector.
He equally noted that President Bola Tinubu has mandated the ministry to work with the private players to address the hindrances to port efficiency which have affected the ease of doing business, especially as the sector is pivotal in achieving the economic growth.
“The President and his new hope agenda for this country is looking at moving from half a billion dollar economy to a trillion dollar economy by the end of four years and the marine and blue economy ministry is one of the pivotal ministries that will drive this economy to that extent. What the president is trying to do in the sector is to rebuild the entire sector from the marine aspect and then bringing the blue economy into it.
“This is a heavy investment. So we are not just looking at government investing in the entire sector alone, but we are looking at collaborating with private sector, We provide the enabling environment for private sector to invest heavily in the sector to achieve the dream of the President,” he said.
Meanwhile, he posited that the ministry would collaborate with the private sector to help restructure the entire maritime industry, adding that the efficiency of the port system cannot be achieved overnight but will take gradual process.
“By the time we implement these policies, it will yield the needed results and this government is targeting the marine and blue economy as a significantly adding to the national Gross Domestic Product,” the NSC stated.
On his part, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Tin Can Island Container Terminal (TICT) Limited, Etienne Rocher, said the rehabilitation and modernisation of Lagos ports are critical to meeting the requirements that will attract shipping lines and make them competitive in West and Central Africa.
Rocher also pointed at the poor access road as one of the obstacles hindering easy of doing business, noting that it has also reduced the numbers of containers handled by the terminals at the ports due to congestion.
The terminal operator observed that although railway and barges are alternatives for evacuation of cargoes from the seaports, they remain secondary to the roads, which remains the core avenue for cargo movement and take up about 97 percent of the consignments.
Rocher lamented that it takes less than 24 hours to clear the port access roads of trucks during presidential visits to the port, yet a whole decade hasn’t been sufficient to resolve the issue permanently.
