The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has held a process improvement meeting with barge operators to achieve connectivity for the seamless evacuation of export-bound cargo to the nation’s seaports from the hinterland.
At a meeting of the Barge Operators Association of Nigeria (BOAN) led by its president, Olubunmi Olumekun, with Mohammed Bello-Koko, managing director of NPA, the NPA boss said the focus on providing the support necessary to optimise the barge operations value chain.
According to Bello-Koko, the meeting also focused on the infusion of professionalism to sustainably ensure the safety of lives and investments at all times.
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“We are driven by the relentless commitment to achieving seamless connectivity between the seaports and the hinterland. This is an enabling initiative for sustaining the growth of exports in the country,” Bello-Koko said.
The deployment of barges to evacuate cargo from the ports to the hinterland was an interventionist initiative of the NPA.
The initiative has, however, grown into a huge direct and indirect employment generation and a business endeavour by using the waterways to reduce pressure and congestion on the road corridor.
