By Kenneth Jukpor
The place of railway has been itemized as one of the critical components that would see Nigeria maximize the trade opportunities with the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
Maritime experts stressed this at the ongoing 12th Africa Nigerian International Maritime Ports and Terminals (NIMPORT) Expo and Conference in Lagos with the theme; “Fostering Africa’s Global Trade Competitiveness and the Role of the Ports”.
The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Ms. Hadiza Bala-Usman stated while delivering a paper on ‘Improving Port Logistics Connectivity, Imperative for Regional Trade Integration’ at the event.
Usman, who was represented by the Assistant General Manager (AGM) Operations, Mr. Durowaiye Ayodele said that the railway projects by the Federal Government should be commended as she observed that the development would see Nigeria better placed to benefit from AfCFTA.
“With the recent signing of the AfCFTA by Nigeria’s President, the size of the country in population, its long coastal line and landlocked countries on several boundaries should avail Nigeria the comparative advantage over other countries in the sub-region. However according to experts, while these opportunities exist, it must be earned through good fiscal policies that build Small and Medium-sized Entreprises (SMEs) and infrastructure development” she said.
“It is in this regard that the foresight of the Federal Government to build standard guage rail lines across the thirty-six states and the Federal Capital, should be commended. The most important for the port sector are the rail connections linking the dry ports in Kano and Kaduna to the seaports in Lagos. We need to have this kind of access and to allow them connect to the rail lines of Chad and Niger Republic who are land locked countries”, she added.
Despite Hadiza’s acknowledgement that the commencement of the Kano/ Lagos rail line, Lokoja-Itakpe, and other railway projects to the hinterland as germane connectivity projects in view of AfCFTA, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) lamented that Apapa port was the only major port with rail infrastructure.
Also speaking at the NIMPORT event, the Managing Director of NRC, Engr. Fidet Okhiria lamented that concession of the seaports led to the blockage of rail lines in the Apapa environs.
Okhiria, who was represented by the Deputy Director, NRC Operations Office, Mr Ola Adeeyinwo made this observation even as beckoned on NPA to partner with NRC in order to make railway a more viable option for cargo evacuation at the ports.
Meanwhile, the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) assured that it was focused on ensuring Nigerian goods and services meet the acceptable standards in the continent and the world at large.
The Director General of SON, Dr. Anthony Aboloma gave this assurance while presenting a paper titled, “Meeting Exportable Standards: Key to Global Trade”.
Noting that the objective of AfCFTA is to boost regional trade, Aboloma stressed that it was important to understand the standards of the goods intended for export to curb the risk of rejection.
He argued that the cost of failure is greater than the cost of producing quality products and services.
Speaking on influx of substandard products, the SON boss said, “I won’t hide under the popular complaint of porous borders because this problem is all over the world, it is only more publicized here in Nigeria. At SON, we have come up with a Market Surveillance strategy to go into the market periodically to take inventory of the products available. We have to know those bringing in the products, are they registered? Do they conform to standards? What’s the feedback from the consumers? We conduct opinion polls to get feedback from consumers”
Caption: A cross section of guests at the 12th Africa Nigerian International Maritime Ports and Terminals (NIMPORT) Expo and Conference in Lagos, on Monday.
