Maritime stakeholders have called on the Federal Government to develop the capacity of Nigerian inland waterways to grow traffic for river ports operating inland water vessels.
They made the call in a communique issued on Wednesday in Lagos after a one-day International Conference and Exhibition organised by the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and the Federal Ministry of Transportation.
The theme of the conference and exhibition is “Improving Navigability and Inland Ports Development for Sustainable Investment on Nigerian Waterways”.
The participants said the conference provided an opportunity for stakeholders in the maritime and logistics sector to deliberate, review, improve and formulate actionable plans.
They noted that there would be initiatives toward reinventing the Nigerian inland waterways to be in the league of world class waterways and to encourage private sector participation in inland waterways ventures.
“There is the need to adequately explore the inland waterways as means of boosting development in the country in view of the abundant mineral and agricultural resources available in the country and the desire to diversify the economy,’’ the participants said.
They drew attention to the existing insecurity on waterways which could hinder engagement of private sector participation in the inland water transportation.
The participants also highlighted the poor state of infrastructure within the inland waterways sub-sector, including the absence of motorable access roads and rail linkages to fast track haulage services from coast to coast.
They stressed the imperative of automating documentation and eliminating paper-based transactions and mentioned the comparative lack of cargo for the waterways mode.
The participants urged NIWA to improve its channel management and dredging activities.
The participants also suggested enthronement of a stable legal framework for the inland waterways subsector and a strategic policy to promote development in the sector.
They demanded inter-connectivity between inland waterways and inland rail to create a viable commercial transport and logistics hub in Nigeria.
The participants also called for rapid development of the country’s coast to coast traffic like Ganaja to Shintaku and Agenebode to Idah.
They advised government to woo private investors in inland waterways subsector to invest in the window of opportunities prevalent in the sector.
Over 550 participants from different stakeholder groups in the maritime and logistics sectors attended the conference and exhibition.
