Bello: IMF Economic Outlook Review Important for Nigeria

Eromosele Abiodun

The Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Shippers’ Council (NSC), Mr. Hassan Bello, has stated that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) economic outlook review is very important to Nigeria, especially now that the country is facing economic challenges and driving the diversification of sources of its revenue.

Bello stated this in Lagos when the Presidential Enabling

Business Environment Council (PEBEC) led officials of International Monetary Fund to the NSC in Lagos.

Speaking on the mandate of the NSC, Bello said: “The mandate of the council is to make the port more efficient through building a port community system, so that we will have operational synergy and then of course national single window, which is the simplification of all processes and the automation of the port for faster clearance of cargoes.”

Bello said the Nigerian ports attract 40-60 per cent of all cargoes in the West African sub-region, adding that 12 years after being concessioned to private operators, there is still lack of efficiency at the port.

The NSC boss added that because Nigeria ports have been stretched beyond their capacity, government plans to introduce rail services into the port, to handle the challenges of using one mode of transportation.

The IMF team led by Mr. Amine Mati who is the Chief Mission, Senior Representative for Nigeria Africa department, was taken round the three port terminals, APM Terminals, Greenview Development Nigeria Limited (GDNL) owned by Dangote Groups and Port and Terminal Multiservice Limited, as part of compilation and publication on the IMF economics outlook review for 2020.

Mati, identified the absence of National

Single Window platform, absence of scanning machines for customs operations as well as poor logistics and road infrastructures as the bare of Nigeria ports.

Meanwhile, in a bid to support the federal government effort to drive the non-oil sector, the NSC has signed an agreement for Tinsmelting plant.

As part of the agreement, the NSC has officially handed over 10 hectares of land behind Heipang Jos Inland Container Depot,

Jos, in Plateau State, to Messrs Topwide Ventures Limited for the establishment of a Tin-smelting plant.

The handing over ceremony took place at the NSC corporate headquarter in Lagos. This, the NSC said, will add value to the Heipaing-Jos Inland Container Depot and generate revenue for the government, promote employment within the vicinity of the project and provide ready export cargo for the depot on a sustainable basis.