FG to focus on rail, inland waterways for trade facilitation
By Godfrey Bivbere & Favour Nnabugwu
Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has said that the Federal Government is to focus railways and inland waterways as a means of enhancing the nation’s inter-connectivity to reduce the cost of its global trade.
The minister made this known at a two day workshop for West and Central Africa sub-region with the theme “Transport cost and regional connectivity of African countries.”
Amaechi also assured representatives of the region that the Nigerian government would support efforts to achieve connectivity in the sub-region.
Amaechi who was represented by the minister of state, aviation, Hadi Sirika, at the event hosted the Nigerian Shippers Council, NSC, said that government working at creating a conducive environment for Public, Private, Partnership, PPP to help achieve the desired connectivity for the nation.
According to him, “The main policy thrust of this administration is to evolve a multimodal, integrated and sustainable transport system, with greater emphasis on rail and inland waterways transportation in order to foster quality connectivity within the system. “An enabling environment for Public-Private Partnership, PPP, is being created by designing new policies, legislation and institutional framework that would support the envisaged improvement of the sector.
“However, the ports alone are not enough to connect to markets, other modes of transport (road, rail, air transport, inland waterways and inland ports) are essential since trade logistics now involves door-to-door or factory to warehouse movement of goods in international trade transactions.
The minister stressed the need to adopt a holistic approach towards addressing the challenges of transport cost and connectivity. He noted that such an approach must take into considerations important issues such as: Cost effectiveness of shipping services, competitiveness and survival of national and regional operators.
Other steps he said are, efficiency of seaports, efficiency of transit corridors/special needs of landlocked containers, availability of coastal shipping service, efficiency of multi-model transport systems, protection of shippers interest and partnership with service providers.
Speaking earlier, Executive Secretary of the NSC, Hassan Bello, noted that there are two kinds of connectivity which are “outside market and intra-regional market.”
Bello stressed the need for intra-regional connectivity especially with the changing global trade. This he explained, will enhance trade, investment, tourism development, narrow developing gap and facilitating people-to-people contacts.
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