By Fidelis Ugbomeh
Bothered about the snail speed of response towards reaping potentials of African Continental Free Trade Agreement, AFcFTA, stakeholders in the transport sector have harped on relevance of rail connectivity to our ports and state capitals as a panacea.
Former Vice-President, Association of Nigeria License Custom Agents, ANLCA and Maritime Consultant, Dr. Kayode Farinto in his remarks about Nigeria as a signatory to AFcFTA, posited that in order the fast track the benefits of trade agreement to Nigeria, there must be rail connectivity between the hinterland and our ports.
He advised that rail connectivity should be given priority instead of near total reliance on road transport as presently obtains.
“Our reliance on road mode is a barrier and stumbling block to free flow of trade in the country and Africa in general,” Farinto posited
In her own remarks Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Le Look Bags, Chinese Ezenwa said there are core maritime/logistics issues that should be addressed to make AfcFTA a success.
Ezenwa stressed that advanced port infrastructure supports intermodal transportation such that cargoes are seamlessly transited between ships, trucks, trains, and airplanes.
“The provision of railways and possibility of barge operations will be crucial to the AfCFTA trade via ports. Port access roads and railway connection have been an impediment to port operations in Nigeria for too long,” she declared
The CEO harped on need to deploy technology and innovation using digital marketing tools to promote and expedite trade within the continent.
According to her, “Lekki deep seaport has commenced operations and a few others are being developed in Bakassi, Badagry, among others. These deep seaport projects should aim to be transshipment hubs considering the new lease of security in the Gulf of Guinea.
“Within the West and Central African sub-region, major seaport competitors will be Ports of Tema, Lome Port in the region. New deep seaports in Nigeria will have to be ready to compete in terms of infrastructure, efficiency in operations, service-driven costs, modern technology, transparency and ease of doing business”.
She advised that Freight forwarding in Nigeria has to be rejigged and tailored towards modern innovations and transparent operations.
Dr Anthony Onoharigho, Deputy Registrar, Liberian Maritime Authority, has described transportation and logistics as key sectors that will help the country achieve the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) objectives.
Onohharigho who said this at the second edition of Martime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria (MARAN) Annual Maritime Lecture(MAMAL) held recently in Lagos noted that the transport sector is undermined.
“To move goods within the country is a problem and now thinking about Africa, so we need to make things seamless by removing barriers.
“We have a competitive advantage by being producers of oil in the country but the constraint also is that we do not have vessels to move the oil outside the country,’’ he said.
Dr Alban Igwe, member United Nations Committee on Trade and Transport Location, noted that the country had all the opportunities to be a logistics hub all barriers removed.
He spoke about need to dismantle everything that was pulling the country back so that it could get its share of the global cake.
““Todays conversation is very important, it is a wakeup call for Nigeria as the country is under a global threat, other African blocs are doing well, while Nigeria is struggling,’’ he said.
Also contributing, Capt. Warredi Enisuoh, Executive Director, Operations and Technical Services, Tantita Security Services, Nigeria Ltd., noted that with AfCFTA, a future exists for manufacturers.
He urged manufacturers to start thinking about Carbon Registry, adding that if Nigeria could organise themselves for this, they could have a National Carbon Credit to their benefit.
Mr Emmanuel Maiguwa, a maritime security expert urged the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, instead of focusing on National Shipping Line, they should ensure that customd duty on vessel acquisition was removed.
“We cannot trade in Africa using our roads successfully and so the need to make acquisition of vessel to be cost effective, all barriers hindering the acquisition of vessel should be eliminated,’’ he said.
The Chairman of the occasion, Mr Sola Adewunmi, President, Nigerian Shipowners Association, noted that the lecture was a good development but asked how prepared was Nigeria in trading on AfCFTA.
He said that people are losing money due to bad policies, inadequate funding, urging that for Nigeria to be a shipping nation, incentives should be given.
Earlier, Mr Godfrey Bivbere, President, MARAN, noted that by breaking down barriers hindering AfCFTA and fostering closer economic ties, the country would pave the way for unprecedented opportunities, growth and prosperity.
“To maximise the benefits of AfCFTA, Nigeria must address critical requirements such as improved trade infrastructure, efficient procedure, capacity building, investment in maritime assets and leveraging technology and innovation to facilitate trade.
“Intra-Africa trade currently stands at just 10 per cent, with AfCFTA, there are projections to raise this to 20 per cent and for this to happen, we must ensure free and efficient movement of goods across borders through vehicles, railways, ships and trucks,’’ he said.