AfCFTA: NPA To Prioritise Intra-African Trade

BY EGUONO ODJEGBA

The Nigerian Ports Authority have said that the maritime sector provides safe passage for about 80% of Africa’s trade.

Accordingly, all seaports in the country are being repositioned as efficient and reliable gateways to optimise Nigeria’s trade interconnectivity with other countries under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement.

Acting Managing Director of NPA, Mohammed Bello-Koko said this in his goodwill message at the maiden edition of the Nigerian International Maritime Summit (NIMS) which held recently in Lagos.

Speaking through the Executive Director, Marine and Operations, Hon.Onari Brown, Bello-Koko disclosed that the Authority having keyed into the Federal Government’s agenda to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within a decade, has prioritized the expansion and improvement of port infrastructure, including ICT and security systems, in order to significantly bring down transportation costs of Nigeria’s trade within the continent and globally.

A statement by Olaseni Alakija, General Manager Corporate and Strategic Communications said the Authority is committed to exploring the optimal potential of the AfCFTA.

He said, “given the urgency with which the new vistas of opportunity of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement beckons, the Authority is eager for actionable ideas and synergistic partnerships that the summit promises to deliver.

“The promotion of the African Union agenda of well-interconnected and integrated networks of transport infrastructure to boost opening of markets and increase intra-regional trade, will serve to complement our ongoing aggressive efforts at attaining seamless port hinterland connectivity through multi-modalism.”

The NPA helmsman commended the organizers of the summit for taking steps to promote Nigeria as a centre of maritime excellence in the region.

He also assured industry stakeholders and port users of the unwavering commitment of management to effectively address all the identified bottlenecks in port operations and harness the opportunities AfCFTA avails, especially in the area of non-oil export trade.