Shippers Council plans to position Nigeria as Africa’s maritime logistics hub

…As Akutah marks one year in office

The plan of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) in the coming year is to position Nigeria as a maritime logistics hub for Africa, said Pius Akutah, executive secretary of the NSC.

Speaking at an event in Lagos on Sunday to mark his one year in office, Akutah bemoaned the connectivity challenge within the African continent as shipments originating from Africa and destined for African countries still go to Europe first before returning to the destination country, increasing time and cost.

Read also: Shippers Council assures of port efficiency, competitiveness

To push forward with the plan in the coming year, he said, the Council is partnering with major global shipping companies to support this vision, and some have committed to investing.

“Trade volume within the confined of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) will suffer if we don’t focus on improving logistics. We will build the necessary infrastructure in maritime logistics to ensure that goods are moving seamlessly within the continent. Transshipment of goods between Nigeria and other African countries can be possible with the infrastructure we have in the country using Apapa and Onne Ports,” he explained.

Akutah said it’s important for Nigeria to capitalise on the AfCFTA, which opened the African market to over 1.5 billion people with a combined market size of over $4 trillion.

“We cannot leave our markets open for other countries without taking steps to ensure we benefit. Our goal is to develop manufacturing so that Nigerian goods can be exported across Africa,” he said.

He urged stakeholders to work together to strengthen Nigeria’s position in the marketplace as the council creates the framework to make Nigeria competitive.

He said Nigeria needs to partner with entities outside the country to set up the maritime logistics hub in Nigeria.

To him, having a strong economic regulator in the country will create opportunities for other sectors which is why the Shippers’ Council is making progress with the Nigerian Port Economic Regulatory Agency Bill.

Highlighting the Council’s activities in the past year of his tenure, Akutah said the bill, which has been passed by the House of Representatives and is awaiting the Senate before Presidential assent, will bring about efficiency in the sector and reposition it for growth.

Read also:  NIMASA backs PPP model for developing maritime infrastructure

He said it would also harmonise trade laws in Africa in a manner that makes things easier for people to practice in the maritime sector.

“With the law, we will monitor the trade that goes within the border areas to enable Nigeria to capture its border trade and be able to plan. It will enhance productivity by driving partnerships between agencies of government,” he said.

The NSC boss said the Compliance Unit saved Nigeria about N6 billion using alternative dispute resolution, funds that would have been lost to legal disputes that could disrupt trade.