The Federal Government has demanded actions regarding the evacuation of goods from African ports.
According to The Punch, this statement was made by President Bola Tinubu on Monday in Lagos at the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa’s 43rd annual council meeting.
Speaking at a conference titled “The role of ports in the African Continental Free Trade Area,” the president mentioned that one of the biggest issues facing ports across the continent is the smooth evacuation of cargo.
The focus of the meeting, according to Tinubu, who was represented at the event by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, is evidence of the organizers’ resolve to work together to find long-term solutions to the problems that port operations face on the continent.
“The smoothness and effectiveness with which commodities are evacuated to and from the ports is another essential factor defining the competitiveness of ports, after the issues of proper security and transparency. Without a doubt, port operations in Africa require significant assistance in this area,” the speaker said.
The president revealed that Nigeria and other African nations are currently debating whether or not to invest in port facilities in order to facilitate trade.
Naturally, there are continuous talks about the necessity of making significant investments in equipment and infrastructure to facilitate trade facilitation in Nigeria and other African countries.
These kinds of meetings help our national governments establish effective policies by putting the challenges in the right perspective and providing a forum for the generation of ideas,” the speaker said.
According to Tinubu, complete automation is the only viable option.
“As a government that supports the idea that information technology should be integrated into public management to facilitate business processes and promote transparency, we are providing the Nigerian Ports Authority with all the support they need to expedite the operationalization of the port community system, which is a prelude to the National Single Window.
“Since we firmly believe that complete automation is the only viable option if we hope to maintain our competitiveness in the international maritime sector.”
