Nigerian ports will soon be open to the neighbouring Niger Republic to handle its imported and exported cargoes, the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Mr. Hassan Bello, has said.
This is expected to increase cargoes being handled by Nigerian ports by about three million metric tonnes.
Bello, who spoke with maritime reporters on Monday, said that the two countries would soon formalise the trade agreement.
About 70 per cent of Niger cargoes were usually moved through Nigerian ports before 2006. It is currently at zero per cent.
The NSC boss recently led a trade delegation made up of port concessionaires, port administrators, government officials and other shipping service providers to Niger Republic.
A statement obtained on Tuesday said the arrangement with Niger was significant in view of the huge economic activities being generated in that country.
For instance, it stated that the country had joined the league of oil producing nations and gave the major imports as mostly consumer goods while the exports as uranium, sesame seed, Arabic gum, groundnut and skin.
It said, “The country is now also an oil producing country and it looks up to the ports of neighbouring countries to export its crude oil because it is landlocked.
“Niger Republic is currently doing about 2.5 million metric tonnes in Benin Republic; 1.5 million metric tonnes in Togo and close to a million metric tonnes in Ghana.”
Bello said that Nigerian ports can do up to three million metric tons annually and two thousand cargoes Niger-bound containers monthly.
He said that the NSC would drive this process to a conclusion and had already engaged all the relevant stakeholders including the Nigeriens shippers.
According to him, the Federal Government has returned efficiency to the ports through the concessional arrangement.
He said, “Niger and Chad were importing through Nigerian ports but its inefficiency prior to the port concession of 2006 led them to move to Ghana, and other countries, where impediments were almost none existent compared to Nigeria.
“Efficiency is a function of competition. No matter how near you are, people want to get their goods in time. Time is money in shipping. There are more roadblocks from Nigeria to Niger Republic than from Burkina Faso to Niger Republic.”
He said also that the Calabar and Port Harcourt ports, currently under-patronised, were being considered for the handling of chemicals.
This, he said, “will give Nigeria the economic advantage; it will cement the long relationship between Niger and Nigeria; also it is a prestigious thing to see that Niger is now trying to import goods through Nigeria. This will be cemented with the revitalisation of the rail lines.”