The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Hassan Bello, on Friday commended terminal operators for boosting service delivery at the nation’s ports.
While speaking in Lagos on Friday, Bello also disclosed that NSC would partner with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) on exportation.
According to him, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council is addressing some of the issues affecting exportation. He said that the discussions had been yielding fruitful results.
He said that to encourage exportation as a source of diversification of the economy, the issue of finance or access to credit by exporters had been discussed.
“We must have adequate infrastructure to move the exportable commodities to the ports. We must have the linkages, weighbridges and consolidation centres so that the products are processed and transported effortlessly to the seaports,” says Bello.
He said all government agencies operating at the ports must improve on their processes for efficient cargo clearance.
“What the NSC is saying is that our ports must be efficient. Therefore, all agencies operating in the ports including the Nigeria Customs Service, Plant Quarantine and other agencies must up their game. Electronic interface should be encouraged in our ports, while appropriate technology must be embraced by all the agencies and institutions operating in the ports. If all these are put in place, there will be transparency, efficiency and competitiveness,” he said.
