NPA says Nigeria's exports rose 25% in two years on port reforms
- Di Nigerian Ports Authority talk say exports grow pass 25 per cent in two years, and na government reforms and partnership with terminal operators help am.
- Managing Director Abubakar Dantsoho talk say di growth cover cocoa, cashew and manufactured goods, no be only oil and gas.
- He also talk say two Nigerian ports enter World Bank top 20 and dem plan $1bn Apapa Port expansion.
Nigeria exports don grow pass 25 per cent in di last two years, na wetin di Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) talk, as e point to government reforms and beta work with di companies wey dey run di terminals.
Di NPA managing director, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, give di figure for di Annual World Ports Conference for London, wey di International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) organise.
For ordinary Nigerians, stronger exports dey important because e dey bring foreign exchange, support jobs for farming and factories, and e fit help make naira stable small small. Cocoa and cashew farmers, and di traders wey dey handle dia produce, go gain pass if di volumes continue to rise.
Dantsoho talk say di growth no be only from oil and gas. Shipments of agricultural raw materials like cocoa and cashew, and manufactured goods, also increase.
"Statistically, di exports from Nigeria in di last two years don increase by 25 per cent," he talk, adding say di rise partly na because of NPA partnership with major terminal operators, especially APM Terminals.
Wetin di ports dey do different
He talk say about four Export Processing Terminals dey run for Nigeria now. For there, NPA dey work with terminal operators, di Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies so dat export cargo go dey checked and documented locally before e leave di country.
Di aim, he talk, na to make sure say goods meet di required standards before shipment, so dat dem no go reject Nigerian exports abroad.
Dantsoho also talk say di reforms don put Nigeria for better position to gain from di African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), di continent-wide pact wey mean to boost trade between African countries. He cite growing cooperation with Morocco, wey he describe as hub for electric and other vehicles.
According to him, two Nigerian ports dey among di top 20 for di latest World Bank global ports ranking, and revenue from ports across di country don quadruple along with higher cargo volumes.
He talk say a regional dashboard wey ports for West and Central Africa dey use show say Nigeria efficiency don beta pass odas for di region.
Wetin go happen next
Dantsoho talk say di Federal Government plan to invest $1 billion to expand and modernise Apapa Port, with private investors, including APM Terminals, wey dem expect to help raise di money.
Di NPA also dey work with a Singaporean firm on a single-window system for trade paperwork, and e dey talk with a company for Abu Dhabi on a port community system to link di many agencies and businesses wey dey use di ports.
Dem announce di export figure for a conference and di NPA no give naira value for di trade or breakdown by product. E also never clear how much of di growth come from higher prices rather than more goods wey dem ship.
