The Management of Kaduna Inland Dry Port Limited has said that the port is ready and has the capacity to handle export transactions to Apapa/Tincan and Onne ports. This was made known at the inland dry port’s Export Forum during their conference in Kaduna.
The capacity includes a mega warehouse to store goods for exporters, provision of empty, unloaded containers and other requisite documentations for onward shipment via the mentioned seaports. These documentations include pre-shipment inspections by authorized agencies. Once these containers are examined and certified, they would be moved to Apapa, TIncan or Onne for on-board sailing to designated port of discharge.
The main aim for instituting the inland port is to decongest the three afore-mentioned ports in Lagos and Port Harcourt in order to make shipping less cumbersome. This would aid exporters far away from the ports to have seamless transactions as the dry port would act as an interface between the shippers and the sea ports.
KIDPL was established in 2015 as port of origin for export forwarding and a port of destination for import consignments by the Buhari administration.
According to the GM, KIDPL, Rotimi O. Raimi Hassan, “The Federal Government is taking export as part of revenue generation by encouraging people to diversify into export business and use it as avenue to balance our international trade so that Nigeria will not solely dependent on crude oil export.
“However, Nigeria is blessed with so many natural resources, yet untapped, and this is the time for us to have a rethink and explore into export trade business which the overhead cost is minimal.”
He gave insight into an expected partnership with the Nigerian Railway Corporation which would take care of the inland haulage of the certified and sealed containers to the seaports. He said, “The Nigerian Railway Corporation has indicated its readiness to commence rail haulage after test running of the rail lines from Zaria to Jebba and Lagos to Jebba. We are hopeful that export will be sealed here by Customs with other agencies authorized at KIDP.
“With these, I assure you that the hindrances faced in export logistics will be eliminated. The northern exporters will smile and enjoy the dividend of the government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari.”
In attendance at the conference were stakeholders within the export industry.
Azuka Edokobi is a Writer , a Farmer, a Supply Chain Expert and an Entrepreneur
