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As part of efforts to boost non-oil export in the country, the Nigerian Export Promotional Council (NEPC) has proposed the setting up of the Domestic Export Warehouses (DEW) to ease supply chain constraints.
Mr. Olusegun Awolowo, Managing Director of NEPC, stated this in his keynote address at a forum organized by the Council in Lagos on Wednesday to enlighten key stakeholders in the export business on the advantages of DEW. The title of the forum was DEW: Redefine Logistics Constraints for Competitiveness.
Awolowo said that DEW is expected to reduce the cost of doing business for MSME exporting companies, and also be a one-stop transit facility/terminal where pre-shipment activities like packaging/labeling, fumigation, pre-shipment inspection, etc of export designated agricultural products in preparation for transportation to the ports priory to eventual shipment.
According to him, ‘’the benefit of this arrangement is that trucks/containers loaded at any designated DEW will be granted free movement to the port of shipment without any interference on the road. The inspection and security checks must have been conducted at the warehouse by relevant security agencies and regulatory bodies thus negating the need to stop trucks by the roads for further checks by security agencies. This initiative is aligned with the Federal Government Ease of Doing Business programme.”
On the operation of the programme, Awolowo noted that DEW is proposed to operate under a public-private partnership arrangement ‘’that will bring the public sector (export relevant agencies) and private sector under a single umbrella to fulfill a common objective ensuring that quality goods are easily transported and shipped to the export destination.’’
Also speaking at the summit, the Director of Product Department, NEPC, Mr. Isiagwu noted that DEW is a game-changer that would reposition the export business in the country, saying that by end of 2021 one DEW facility would have been opened for business. He maintained that trucks that would be used to transport cargo to the DEW facilities would be certified for transportation and be tracked to monitor their movement.
He charged all relevant stakeholders to come onboard and be part of the new project, adding that it would be profitable to all parties.
Some notable companies that participated in the event were; Accessport Nigeria Limited, Ames-Edo Dry Port, FOB Global Logistics Limited.
