The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has said it is going into strategic partnerships as well as encouraging exports to achieve its revenue targets of $1.2bliion for 2016.
The Managing Director of the NPA, Mallam Habib Abdullahi, who stated this in Lagos recently said already, the NPA has reached out to the Export Promotion Council and the ministries of Agriculture and Solid Minerals to work out other means of assisting in diversifying revenue sources for government, especially in growing exports for the country.
In a statement made available by NPA, Abdullahisaid the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) may even surpass its targets if the current economic indices improve.
The statement added: “The agency is also set to dedicate some port terminals to export Hubs for Agriculture and Solid Mineral. There are proposals for ports that will be solely dedicated to the export of agricultural produce and the Ilaje port in Ondo for solid mineral export. He said the NPA is already working out a strategy with the Customs on how to achieve this milestone.”
According to him the terminal operators are also being re-oriented to support the success of the programme
Abdulahi said this will not only help in the diversification process of the economy but will also compensate for the revenue the ports are losing, as there is the urgent need to utilise the many containers that are lying idle in the ports , and being taken away empty.
He further added: “The primary responsibility of the NPA is to raise more revenues for government and work to assist in expanding the economy and ensure nation’s dependence on oil is reduced significantly. This the NPA is doing by encouraging export promotion and foreign direct investment.”
Abdulahi also stated that the agency is working assiduously to ensure smooth operations at the ports, adding so far, an inter-modal type of transportation system, railways and motor roads has developed within the ports to ease congestions in the Lagos ports and that of the Port Harcourt ports recorded up to 93 percent completion.
