FG Targets 48 Months for £746m Lagos Ports Remodelling Completion- Akinola
Says Project will Harness Multiple Opportunities for Users
By Zainab Junaid
The Federal Government of Nigeria has said that the proposed Lagos Ports remodelling project, approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), is expected to be completed in 48 months and will create multiple opportunities for users.
Speaking on “Maritime Development: FG’s Plan for Port Upgrades, Ease of Doing Business” on Channels Television recently, Dr. Bolaji Akinola, Special Adviser to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy on Media and Communication, emphasised the need for drastic intervention in the decayed port infrastructure.
Akinola explained that upon completion, the transformation will make the Ports a true hub for West Africa, involving huge modernisation and upgrades.
”The initiative is a huge project that will create up to 20,000 jobs. It’s a total overhaul; automation will be introduced, and channels will be dredged to accommodate bigger vessels with drafts up to 16 meters. Larger vessels will lead to lower freight costs, ease of doing business, and cheaper goods in markets for Nigerians,” he said.
He said the project will facilitate export business as the Federal Government diversifies the economy through non-oil exports. “Those non-oil exports will go to the international market through the port. We need a modern port to support our export trade; that’s the essence of this modernisation and upgrade”.
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He also highlighted substantial amounts of transit cargo lost to neighbouring countries due to the dilapidated Ports infrastructure, saying “Many countries around us use Nigeria Ports for transshipment in those days but nowadays we have lost these opportunities because of decayed infrastructure. With this initiative, when completed the transformation will recreate a new Port system for the country and all bottlenecks associated with Port operations will be removed,” the SA added.
Mr Akinola hinted that other Ports including Warri, Calabar, Onne and PHC, will also be modernised the same way Lagos Port is about to be upgraded.
To him, “The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr Adegboyega Oyetola has authorised the procurement process for their modernisation and very soon you will hear good news on this.
“Government is concentrating on Lagos Port for now because Apapa and TinCan are critical Port that handle 80% of non- oil cargo both imports and export”.