By Godwin Oritse
Nigeria’s exports have increased by 25 per cent in the last two years, driven by Federal Government reforms and improved collaboration with port terminal operators, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, has said.
Speaking at the ongoing Annual World Ports Conference in London, organised by the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH), Dantsoho said the growth covered both oil and non-oil exports.
“For us in Nigeria, the most important thing is that we are seeing growth as a result of this policy that we are taking. Statistically, the exports from Nigeria in the last two years has increased by 25 per cent.
“These are exports that are not mainly only oil and gas. In manufacturing and agriculture, raw materials like cocoa and cashew, volumes have increased, and that is to the credit of the partnership between ourselves and the major terminal operators, APM Terminals,” he said. He attributed the improvement to Export Processing Terminals established by the NPA.
“We have got about four of those in Nigeria where we collaborate with the terminal operators, the Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies that have a stake, so that everything regarding the processing of cargo for export is done locally,” he stated.
On the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Dantsoho said: “Nigeria’s economy is very strong now because of our president’s reforms, which everyone can testify is attracting investors to the country.”
He added that port reforms had improved operational efficiency and increased revenue.
“We have experienced a lot of increase in volumes and revenue that has been generated by the ports across Nigeria. As a matter of fact, the efficiency in the ports in Nigeria is far better now than those of other West African countries,” he said.
Dantsoho also disclosed that the Federal Government was investing $1 billion in expanding and modernising Apapa Port, with private-sector partnerships supporting infrastructure and technology development.
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