The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms. Hadiza Usman, has said that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement will help boost intra-Africa trade for Nigerian businesses.
The NPA boss said this at the 12th Africa Nigerian International Maritime Ports and Terminals (NIMPORT) Expo and Conference held in Lagos.
President Muhammadu Buhari, on July 7, 2019 signed the agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (“AfCFTA) in Niamey, Niger Republic, thus making Nigeria the 53rd country to have signed the agreement.
The agreement seeks to create a single market for goods and services by facilitating free movement of goods, services and investment within the African continent.
Usman said NIMPORT was aimed at creating a multi-sector platform for bridging the divide and connecting all sub sectors in the chain of logistics solutions for manufacturers, shippers and consumers.
The expo had the theme: ”Fostering Africa’s Global Trade Competitiveness and the Role of the Ports”.
Usman, who was represented at the occasion by NPA’s Assistant General Manager, Mr. Durowaiye Ayodele, noted that the Nigerian ports are undergoing some infrastructural and institutional reforms preparatory to ensuring seamless connectivity.
“Investment in infrastructure will give opportunity to link critical hinterland through rails, waterways and also the rehabilitation of roads leading to ports and a deliberate policy put in place to improving the transport sector.
“All the investment in infrastructure with the signing of the AfCFTA is aimed at integrating the economy of the country and removing barriers,” she said.
Usman pointed that there should also be deliberate policy targeted towards improving the transport sector.
She noted that the government needed to address challenges such as dredging of sea ports, corruption, manual operations being experienced by the transport sector to enable the country to effectively participate in the regional trade.
Earlier, Mr. Fortune Idu, Chairman, NIMPORT, urged African countries to come together and form a trading block for the development of regional trade in the continent.
He added that the signing of AfCFTA agreement by President Buhari was the much awaited antidote needed to prepare Africa to compete favourably in the global trade as unified body.
According to him, trade between countries has not been seamless and the continent has not been fully integrated in the form of trade and connectivity.
MM/GIK/APA