The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has received the Reviewed Full Business Report of the Dala Inland Dry Port in Kano State after the bankability, viability and sustainability of the Inland Dry Port had been ascertained.
The report was presented to the Council by Mohammed Kumalia, managing partner/CEO of the Public Private Partnership advisories to Dala Port.
The dry port is expected to boost trade and reduce barriers to international trade. It is also expected to create value for money by reducing transport cost and saving time in the movement of cargo to the hinterland, while increasing accessibility to Nigeria’s landlocked neighbours in the North.
Speaking at the event, which took place at the Shippers’ Council office in Abuja, Hassan Bello, executive secretary/CEO of NSC said the project aims to decongest the port and highlight the achievability of the Africa Free Continental Trade Agreement (AFCTA).
He said that the dry port would complement the Kano-katsina –Jibiya Maradi rail line as well as the Lagos-kano Standard Gauge Railway, which will be integrated into the project.
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Recall that the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, has consistently provided support to the concessionaires within the confines of the implementation guidelines and extant regulations guiding the establishment of Inland Dry Ports across several geopolitical zones in the country.
The Dala Dry Port project which was concessioned in 2006 along with six other Inland Dry Ports, has suffered setbacks such as lack of accessibility to long-term funding, lack of support from previous governments and regulatory gaps that existed when the concession exercise was initiated.
In 2018, the Inland Dry Port project received a boost when it found new investors. Meanwhile, skeletal services are expected to commence by June 2021.
Also, the Reviewed Business Report is to be submitted to the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission ( ICRC) through the Minister of Transportation for the issuance of a full business case compliance certificate.
Leading Financial Services provider, Meristem has launched a new corporate campaign as part of its efforts to encourage investors and businesses build wealth.
This new campaign message titled ‘Storm, is sequel to the success of the ‘ The Journey’, a TVC programme which showcased art doyen Mama Nike Okundaye Davies, that also featured on campaign promise “Let’s take you farther” which debuted last year.
The campaign which encourages investors and businesses to partner with experienced and trusted financial partners that understand the investment terrain mirrors the resilience that people and businesses all around the world have shown amidst a global pandemic that slowed economic growth. The campaign highlights the importance of trusted financial advisors in wealth building, as well as the essence of making smart investment decisions with strong and resilient financial partners.
As the global environment continues to struggle from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become imperative for investors to allocate scarce resources smartly and safeguard their investments with organizations who possess the knowledge and investment domain expertise to build lasting wealth.
With the Storm, Meristem seeks to intensify the essence of building lasting wealth that can withstand stormy days. While imploring existing and prospective clients to adopt a wide range of its diversified product and service offerings, Meristem is also making bold its ability to partner with people and businesses at any stage of their financial journey.
While commenting on the campaign, Oluwole Abegunde, group managing director, Meristem highlighted “The economic and global business environment has been very tough because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses have had a fair share of the accompanying challenges of the pandemic. Investors are now torn on how to allocate scarce resources smartly while pursuing the prospect of healthy financial returns. This can only be possible with the help of tested and trusted partners who have been able to withstand the downsides of the external environment.”
In continuing, he also has this to say- “From inception, we have operated a client oriented business which has helped us to create tailormade financial solutions for our clients, some of which include Retirement Planning, Mutual Funds, Foreign denominated products like Meristem dollar investment Portfolio, Real Estat e Advantage Portfolio and more recently, Probate Management Service.
We will continue to be proactive with product innovation as the investment landscape evolves. This is a signal of our readiness for partnership, to take our clients to their desired financial destination, Abegunde said.
