The conceptualisation of Inland Dry Ports (IDPs) across the country will boost the Federal Government’s revenue and trade inflow while promoting efficiency at Nigerian ports to engender trade facilitation.
However, the Inland Dry Port Projects was conceived as part of Federal Government’s Ports reform program designed among others to decongest the seaports and also take shipping and port services closer to importers and exporters in the hinterland.
It was against this backdrop that the Federal Executive Council in March 2006 granted approval for the establishment of this critical transport infrastructure at chosen locations across the country to be concessioned to private sector operators on Public Private Partnership (PPP) strategic framework to Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) model.
The Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Sambo, said the operation of Inland Dry Ports (IDPs) across the country will, aside its critical importance in facilitating international trade and transit cargo to landlocked countries, act as a catalyst for improved trade flows and revenue source to the Federal Government.
Sambo who was represented by the Deputy Director of Inland Container Depot of the ministry, Ewache Victor, stated this at the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) and Federal Ministry of Transportation (FMoT) one-day stakeholders sensitization program/launching of the operational manual for Inland Dry Ports in Nigeria held yesterday at Apapa, Lagos.
According to him, the dry ports would also bring shipping activities closer to shippers in the hinterland, increase cargo throughput, boost inland trading, and promote export of agricultural products, thus, leading multi-product-oriented economy.
He added that the dry ports project will also create employment opportunities that would ultimately stem rural-urban migration, act as source of internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to the host states as well as revenue source to the Federal Government.
He said the project is being developed through PPPs using the BOOT model in six locations, which are Isiala- Ngwa, Abia State; Erunmu Ibadan, Oyo State; Heipang Jos, Plateau State; Funtua, Katsina State; Maiduguri, Borno State and Dala in Kano, which would be commissioned soon. He said other inland dry ports are currently being processed in Kebbi, Osun, Anambra, Oyo, Edo, Bauchi and Abia states respectively, adding that the operational manual, which is been launched, covers the activities in a dry port, which include, container import and export by rail, container import and export by truck, Customs controls and empty container storage.
However, he urged operators and regulators to abide with the operational processes as contained in the manual, which specifically describes the functions, activities and operations of the dry ports as it relates to export and import according to international best practices for standard quality control.
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Emmanuel Jime, said the inland dry ports project were conceived as part of the reform programme in the transport sector to promote efficient transportation, enhance efficiency at the ports and engender trade facilitation in the country.
“The strategic importance of producing the manual articulates the step-by-step procedure(s) for receiving, storing, handling and delivery of cargoes as well as highlighting the operations and responsibilities of agencies and timelines for discharging such tasks.
“The operational manual, which has already been launched in Kano in July 21, 2022, will be launch in Port-Harcourt in August 9, 2022, as it provides detailed processes and procedures for the main activities of the Inland dry ports.
“The manual is based on best international practice adapted to suite Nigerian context. Indeed, each dry port will have its owned specialties, organisational implementation, layout constraintsband services offered and would therefore amend aspect of the manual in a case-by-case basis,” he said.
He said the Nigerian Shippers Council would work to ensure that the upcoming inland dry ports particularly Dala, Funtua and Jos avoids the pitfalls that the seaports are currently experiencing by ensuring they are fully compliant with the operational manual and ISPS compliant as well as operate 24/7. “They are transit facilities fully digitalised and served with intermodal transport among others,” he said.
On his part, the Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello-Koko, said the Lagos seaports are operating beyond their capacity, hence, the need to optimise the inland dry ports.
Bello-Koko who was represented by the Assistant General Manager, Operations, Ayodele Durowaiye, said NPA had been working to ensure the Kaduna inland dry port is linked to the borders of neighbouring countries in the northern region to ensure passage of goods in and out of the country.
He said the effective operations of the IDPs will provide options for shippers and consignees outside Lagos State as it will increase the possibility of export cargoes.
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