Harboursandport.com: Lagos --- By Oko Ebuka
Investigations conducted by Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Organisation
has revealed that the Apapa and Tin Can Island ports in Lagos are
adjudged the most inefficient and have the highest days of cargo dwell time in
the West Africa sub region.
 |
| One of Nigeria's Port |
Speaking at a programme in Lagos put together by the Nigerian
Shippers Council in collaboration with Borderless Alliance, Mr. David
Nounagnon, representative of the Executive Secretary, Abidjan-Lagos Corridor
Organisation, revealed that between 2011 and 2017, port dwell time in Lagos
ports rose from 20 to 22 days. The representative explained that the high
number of checkpoints and longer days of cargo dwell time at the ports further
contributed to delays in the movement of goods in the region.
He noted that undue harassment by security personnel at the ports
and at the border posts further hindered trade facilitation in the region.
Giving a comparative analysis of neighbouring countries in the
ECOWAS region, the borderless representative explained that Cotonou port, as at
2017, had a total of 14 days for cargo dwell time.
According to him, Ghana’s Tema Port currently has 15 days dwell
time, while Lome has the lowest port dwell time with nine days.
On the number of checkpoints along the corridor, Nounagnon noted
that between 2011 and 2017, road blocks within Nigeria dropped from 32 to 13
making it still the highest in the sub region.
Though Ghana has the same number with Nigeria but between 2011 and
2015, she had 28 checkpoints within her corridor.
However, Benin Republic has the lowest number of road blocks
within the region with a total of four checkpoints along her corridor.
Between 2011 and 2015, Benin Republic had 11 checkpoints manned by
uniformed officers, while Ivory Coast currently has five. But between 2011 and
2015, they had 31 and 25 respectively.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council,
Hassan Bello, stated that the workshop was aimed at enlightening stakeholders
on critical issues on trade and transport in the sub region.
"Our current mandate on trade and transport facilitation
includes the protection of investors' interests from undue interference to
guarantee return on investments and profitability, protection of consumers from
arbitrary charges, enthroning transparency, efficiency and effectiveness,
harmonising processes and procedures and creating and maintaining a level
playing field for all stakeholders to ensure the reduction of the cost of doing
business in Nigeria.
"However, this initial
mandate was expanded in the year 2014 by the agency’s appointment as the
economic port regulator of the nation's port sector. It is therefore currently
serving as the unbiased umpire in the conduct of the nation's economic
activities in the port sector," Bello who was represented by the deputy
director in charge of zonal service, Reverend Winner Anayo, said
No comments:
Post a Comment