ABUJA: The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has given assurance of laying the desired foundation needed to entrench intermodal transportation system, in a determined bid to effectively boost productivity. Managing Director, Ms Hadiza Bala Usman, gave this indication while welcoming to her Lagos, Marina Office, a team from the Oxford Business Group, United Kingdom, who paid her a courtesy call. She highlighted that the maritime world was seriously embracing intermodal dictates and the Authority would not be left behind.
“Management would ensure the Authority key into that (intermodal)”, Hadiza stated, assuring the delegation of her management’s commitment to assiduously work towards ensuring that the Nation’s Ports Master Plan was effectively midwifed and used, so as to see Nigeria become a reference point in all matters that concern enhanced operational efficiency. She maintained that the NPA would prioritize the utilization of a functional Railway networks for the efficient distribution of cargo across the nation’s Seaports in line with global best practices.
Speaking on her vision for trans-shipment, Hadiza stated that the NPA’s synergy with the private sector, geared towards the actualization of Deep Seaports across the nation would help reposition the country for greater economic relationship, and noted that the competitive tariff regime being currently put in place by Government would “place us on a better platform in the sub-region”. She assured that ongoing efforts would soon tame the menace of traffic gridlock hampering efficient service delivery at the Ports, stressing that is already a robust approach underway amongst stakeholders, with promising positive results, which would in no time, drastically minimize time hitherto spent on the affected access roads. The NPA Boss gave details of her management’s efforts towards prioritizing the rehabilitation of infrastructure at the Ports, so as to achieve optimal operational efficiency in ports’ activities, which she highlighted would assist in a significant boost to revenue generation. On the delegation were the Oxford Business Group Regional Manager, Africa, Elise Postigo; Country Director Nigeria, Diana Rus and Editorial Manager, Davide Rasconi.
