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ABUJA, Aug. 2 (Xinhua / GNA) – The Nigerian
government is considering building more dry ports across the
considered a catalyst for stimulating trade and economic growth.
development, an official said here Friday.
The government is committed to that,
all the more so as the Nigerian port facilities seem to have been
overexploited, Chidi Izuwah, head of the concession for the country's infrastructure
Regulatory Commission, told reporters in northwestern Kano State.
Dry ports serve as rallying points for
exporters, where their shipments for export would be moved using several
modes of transport, by rail or road, to conventional seaports.
The pioneer dry port of Nigeria has been inaugurated
January 4, 2018.
Among the dry ports that should be
fully built is soon the dry port of Dala to Kano, which according to
Izuwah, is "important enough for the country's economy, being the
commercial city of the north ".
"He will receive the containers by rail or
seaport route for inspection and clearance by Customs as well as by others
competent authorities, "said the official. He has all the loading and
unloading equipment required to handle the containers. "
Inland container depots, also known as
dry ports, should bring shipping services to the door of shippers
across the country, he said. This will help to decongest seaports and
make them more user-friendly.
Other benefits include the impulse
revitalize and modernize the Nigerian rail network as the main mode of
long distance, as well as to contribute to the overall costs of freight
inland areas and cargo in transit to landlocked countries, "he said.
He noted that with the initiative, imports
goods destined for certain hinterlands would be transferred by rail or road to
facility where zone importers could access their cheap shipments
rates and closer to their warehouses and markets.
Izuwah confirmed that there had been
proposals from the private sector to establish ports in some northern and
southern states of the country.
Already, the Nigerian government has
approved seven locations for dry ports, which are under concession with
private sector operators, for effective hinterland coverage across the
West African countries.
GNA
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