WAF Shipping Focus: Week 34
The Director General/CEO of the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency, (NPERA), Dr. Akutah Pius, has assured stakeholders that NPERA would work closely with sister agencies, particularly the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), to deepen reforms and improve service delivery across the maritime sector.
Akutah gave the assurance just as he urged staff to embrace the culture of commitment, and professionalism as the Agency commences operations under its new statutory mandate as Nigeria’s ports economic regulator.
The coming on stream of the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA) may have ushered in a new era of stronger economic regulation at Nigerian ports, but maritime stakeholders have warned that the reform could trigger fresh regulatory ‘wars’ and leave shippers vulnerable if the boundaries between NPERA and existing government agencies are not clearly defined.
The stakeholders, while welcoming the transition from the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) to NPERA, warned that the success of the new agency would depend largely on how effectively the Federal Government draws a clear line between its economic regulatory responsibilities and the existing statutory mandates of agencies such as the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
Dangote Industries is moving to acquire its own vessels to transport products from Nigeria to markets across West and Central Africa, as limited shipping capacity and the high cost of road transport complicate the group’s regional expansion plans.
Sada Ladan-Baki, head of international trade export at Dangote Cement, disclosed the plan on Tuesday at a seminar on non-oil exports. “We are moving forward towards getting our own ships in order to do this business,” Ladan-Baki said.
Captain Ladi Olubowale, a foremost shipowner and former Chapter President of the African Shipowners Association (ASA), has said a $25 million facility under the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) could be sufficient to acquire a sizeable vessel if the financing is tied to identifiable cargo and long-term trade contracts.
Olubowale made this known at the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN) Roundtable on Monday, where he argued that the success of the CVFF should not be measured simply by the amount available to individual shipowners, but by how effectively the funds are linked to actual trade opportunities.
The Patriots Anti-Corruption Initiative has raised the alarm over alleged extortion, cargo clearance delays and multiple bottlenecks at Nigerian ports, warning that the practices are driving up the cost of doing business and contributing to inflation.
The group, however, singled out some shipping lines and terminal operators for allegedly frustrating the Federal Government’s trade facilitation and ease-of-doing-business initiatives.
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has facilitated the recovery and clearance of critical power equipment belonging to the Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited (NDPHC) that had been abandoned and left idle at various Nigerian seaports.
The intervention, according to the NDPHC, is expected to accelerate the implementation of critical power projects across the country while helping the company avert potential losses running into billions of naira.
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