Nigerian Council Moots New Agenda for Maritime Industry
Nigeria needs a new Economic Agenda for the maritime sector that would look into port reforms and local participation policies, port concession and terminal shipping elements, as well as the Cabotage Act (Coastal and Inland Shipping), says Chief Kunle Folarin, the Chairman, Ports Consultative Council (PCC).
The economic agenda will enable the ports’ regulatory authorities to promote investment opportunities in the maritime sector and improve human capacity building in seafaring, he said.
The agenda will also look into Direct Foreign Investment policies and incentives in the maritime transport sector. He pointed out that ship building, ship repairs and allied industry opportunities should be paramount under privatization and private sector participation in the maritime sector.
He has revealed some statistics - in terms of demand, ship building and repair facilities, including dry docking facilities, would require additional 50 establishments, while ship and craft in the cabotage area should be over 4,000. Ship building and repairs, including dry docking facilities, are less than 10. For supply, Nigerian flagged vessels involved in ocean trading were less than 45, while Nigerian flagged ships and crafts in the cabotage area (coastal trade) were less than 50.
Folarin described shippers as the movers of the Nigerian economy, adding that without the ports, there would be no ship and without the shippers, there would be no cargo. “A total of 5,400 vessels came into the country in 2014, with the efforts of the shippers,’’ he said. “How many of this number are Nigerian enterprises? ’’ Folarin asked.
