The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, has called for greater in-country investments in Eastern ports’ infrastructure and equipment to attract larger vessels and increase cargo throughput to meet the demands of the country’s over 200 million population.
Speaking during a two-day operational and investment campaign tour of Onne and Rivers Port Complexes, Dantsoho emphasised the urgency of scaling up investments to enhance Nigeria’s competitiveness in the West and Central African maritime sector.
During the tour, which included facilities such as BRAWAL Oil Services Limited, Onne Multipurpose Terminal, INTELS, INDORAMA, West African Container Terminal (WACT), NOTORE, and Rivers Port Complex terminals in Port Harcourt, Dantsoho highlighted the transformative changes needed to address the current gaps in the maritime sector.
Dantsoho made the call while addressing stakeholders during a two-day operational and investment campaign tour of the facilities at Onne and Rivers Port Complexes, in continuation of his resolve to galvanise port concessionaires and terminal operators into increasing their in-country investments.
The NPA boss went around port facilities in the eastern region, including BRAWAL Oil Services Limited Onne Multipurpose Terminal, INTELS, INDORAMA, West African Container Terminal (WACT), NOTORE and terminals at the Rivers Port Complex in Port Harcourt.
Dantsoho emphasised the urgency of scaling up investments in port infrastructure to compete with neighbouring maritime nations along the West and Central African coastlines.
Dantsoho, who is also the President of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA), said with the quantum of investments neighbouring countries are attracting in their maritime industry, which has increased their vessels and cargo traffic, Nigeria must redouble its effort.
“The reality of Nigerian ports processing only two million containers yearly to serve over 200 million people is an anomaly and requires urgent attention to address the gap. We can only stay competitive if we redouble our investment drive to provide requisite infrastructure and equipment to attract the sizes of vessels that scale up our cargo throughput to adequately serve our huge pop,” he said.
The NPA boss highlighted the agency’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for investors under the directive of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola.
He urged investors to capitalise on the investor-friendly policies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to infuse greater investments with assured return on investment.
Source: TheGuardian
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