By Stephen Ubana
Adegboyega Oyetola, a former governor of Osun state and now minister of marine and blue economy, relentless efforts to reposition Nigerian port system that will attract potential investors both within and outside the country appears to be yielding results.
Only recently, Sultan Ahmed Bin- Sulayem, of the DP World, owners and operators of the port of Dubai, United Arab Emirate, UAE, who had taken advantage of the business opportunities in the nation’s maritime industry had opened discussions with Adegboyega Oyetola, a former governor of Osun state and minister of marine and blue economy.
Sultan Sulayem, who had led the company’s delegation to Nigeria, was said to have met the minister in his office for talks on the need to establish industrial park to complement the country’s port system and provide logistics base for processing exports.
The DP World delegation Leader who is determined to secure the business for UAE, based firm, was said to have made the former Osun state governor to understand that that it currently operates in 48 countries across the world and has over 90 terminals with registered presence in some countries in the African Continent.
Given that the Dubai based Company currently operates 90 terminals across the world, there is nothing stoppingit from taken a cue from Tropical General Investments, TGI, which had leveraged on the public-private partnership, PPP, for the establishment of a state-of-the-art fishing terminal the first of its kind ithe Westest African subregion to do so in Nigeria., to add to the company’s number of terminals operated across the world., US,
The DP World top official who has never failed to give a run down about the company at a given opportunity was said to have told the minister, who was happy to receive the Dubai audience in his office that ‘’it runs one of the most efficient port systems in the world’’, and ready ‘’ to deploy their expertise and experience in the Nigerian port system if given the opportunity to come into Nigerian port system and invest.
The former Osun State governor may have gladdened the heart of the DP World delegation when he disclosed that the Nigerian Government is ‘’open to investments in the country’s maritime sector’’, promising that the ministry under his Leadership will provide the needed impetus to interested investors for such ventures.
The Osun state born minister of marine and blue economy who had approved the proposal by the DP World to establish industrial parks in the Nigerian port system without getting the formal proposal from the company was said to have asked the Sultanm Slayemi, to expedite action to bring forth a formal proposal for consideration by the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, under the close watch of Abubakar Dantsoho.
H e was said to have made the DP World delegation to understand that Nigeria has an intensive coastline and abundance of Lands suitable for the development of industrial parks, meaning that the company is welcome into the country’s port system to do their business.
He was said to have also told the DP World delegation that the Nigerian Government is keen on deepening the private sector participation in the country’s port system. The minister who was said to have assured the Dubai based company delegation that they have no cause to worry about investing in the Nigerian port system was said to have repeatedly said during their discussions of the viability of port operations in Nigeria, stressing that ‘’the rate of returns on such investments is guaranteed’’.
The minister may have drawn the attention of the DP World officials to another possible of area of investment in the country’s port system for now. H e had alluded to the ongoing modernization plan to increase the draught level of the Lagos port of Apapa, Tincan can Islan port, Port Multi-services Terminal Limited, PTML, Kirikiri Lighter Terminal, phases I and II, to a range of between 6.5 meters to 12 meters to accommodate world class bigger ocean vessels.
NPA, according to the minister of marine and blue economy had successfully negotiated a UK Export Finance, UKEF, loan facility of the US, $700 million, with Citibank Nigeria ‘’to rehabilitate the Apapa and Tin-can Island ports.
The same modernization plan was said to have also been planned for the south eastern ports of Onne, Rivers port, PortHarcourt, Delta port Warri and Calabar port, Cross river state. The minister is optimistic that if the ongoing modernization plan of the nation’s ports can only be achieved within a record good time, it will help the country regain is status as a transshipment hub, in the West African subregion.
At present, NPA, with the backing of Oyetola, the minister of marine and blue economy, is working to digitize and automate all port operations to reduce all human and physical interface to the barest minimum as obtained in the port of Dubai and other ports in the Asian countries of China, India, Europe, United Kingdom, UK and the North American country of the United States including Kenya and South Africa in the African Continent.
Giving an insider information to the execution of the ongoing modernization plan of the country’s port system, the minister was said to have to have told the DP World delegation that the initiatives include but are not limited to modern adopt technology and modern equipment for port operations such as the implementation of the cargo Tracking Note, CTN, system , the port Community system and the National Single Window initiative, which the minister had said is geared towards increasing efficiency and reducing turn-around -time of ocean -going vessels at the ports.
