NPA collaborates with foreign firms on trade

• NPA collaborates with foreign firms on trade

The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority, Hadiza Usman, has announced the collaboration of the authority with relevant establishments and foreign firms towards increased bilateral trade ties.

A statement from the NPA quoted Usman as speaking at the 10th anniversary of NIMPORT annual maritime conference in Lagos.

Usman, who was represented by the Assistant General Manager, Commercial and Ports Promotion, Abdulrahman Lamina, added that technology transfer and information sharing would assist in the standardisation of products for international market.

She confirmed that the Federal Government’s single window operations were aimed at enhancing swift clearance of goods at the ports.

According to her, enhanced security profile at the port would attract sustained investments to the sector and put the country in line with the dictates of International Maritime Organisation’s regulations.

The NPA MD informed stockholders that the Federal Government was working towards the deployment of top-grade technologies and automation such as the command, Control and Communication and Intelligence Unit and the revenue Invoicing Management System series, which would ensure quick financial transactions and the blocking of revenue leakages at the ports.

These, she said, would help enact a greater enabling environment in attracting Foreign Direct Investments.

Usman postulated that developing sustainable trade relations with nations would create employment, build foreign exchange reserve and ultimately boost the country’s Gross Domestic Product.

The Managing Director, Green View Development Nigeria Limited, represented by the Head of Human Resources and Administration David Agunbiade, was quoted as saying that it should be easy to create jobs in the Nigerian maritime industry, especially with the high grade of natural and human resource endowments supported with conducive all year-round stable geographic and climatic conditions.

The Director, Institute of Maritime Studies University of Lagos, Prof. OlusojiIlori, reportedly said, “The maritime industry is key to the development of any economy” and therefore charged the government to endeavour to plough back heavily into the industry in order to boost the nation’s economy.