The Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Shippers’ (NSC), has highlighted road transport as key to integration of trade within the West and Central African sub-region.
Bello said this call during the inauguration of the interim working committee of West Africa Road Transport Union (WARTU), which held in Lagos.
According to him, regional transportation requires integration, harmonization and standardization as this would ensure the removal of fiscal and physical trade barriers in the sub-region.
“This meeting is being structured because the volume of trade within the African sub-region is not very much. The volume of trade within the Central African region is only 1% while that of Europe stands at 70%. We need to look at ways of improving trade within the sub-region and there are so many things to trade on among us,” he said.
He also said that Nigeria’s trade was supported by Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), laws and protocols which had been guiding the effective operation of trade in the region.
According to him, the Council had been playing a critical role in ensuring that the institutions and bodies were supported in one way or the other.
He commended the National Road Transport Owners (NARTO), for their involvement in the series of laudable activities believing that the Union was having the capacity and capability to put things in place.
Bello expressed the Council’s readiness to give the newly inaugurated committee the necessary support and encouragements to enable them meet their aspirations.
In his inaugural address, the President of WARTU, Mr. Ogbogo Aloga, lauded the Council for the pivotal role played in ensuring a level playing ground among stakeholders.
Alogo said that the role of transportation in the West African sub-region cannot be over emphasized. According to him, this necessitated the inauguration of the working committee of WARTU.
“This is a welcome development because trade within the sub-region is already moribund and requires urgent restructuring to boost the inter-regional trade relationship. The integration that is coming now is very important because it will also increase trade along African corridors and remove barriers among the countries”, he said.
He said that the newly inaugurated body was set to address the issues affecting trade such as communications, security, and exchange rate among ECOWAS countries.
Alogo said that the WARTU body and the newly inaugurated committee members would work hard to improve trade within the West-African Sub-region.
By Kenneth Jukpor
