LAGOS: Nigerian ports are now of international standard and globally competitive in terms of infrastructural investments, the Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA), Nigerian chapter, has said.
The president of the association, Mrs Jean Chiazor-Anishere, said in an interview with journalists in Lagos, that the ports attained international standard after terminal operations were concessioned to reputable private companies.
She said, “Port concessioning has introduced new equipment. Never mind the incessant charges that shippers are complaining about. In terms of infrastructure, our seaports are now of international standard.
“The wharf rats in the years past were so many but then the minister of finance took a drastic step and reduced the agencies (at the ports) to five. If you consider that with what we used to have in the past, the number has actually reduced,” Chiazor-Anishere said.
She also lauded the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for introducing the Pre Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) system.
“Although we know that it was what the Cotecna started with, the fact that the Nigeria customs has adopted that and modified it to suit our own situation is commendable and should be encouraged because they are making it indigenous and localised to our own system,” she noted.
The WISTA boss, however, urged the federal government to extend the rail tracks to all the ports and make the port rail system effective and efficient to decongest the roads.
