About two years after Nigeria made an inroad towards re-attracting transit cargoes destined for Niger Republic; there are indications that Ghana has raised the bar in the battle for consignments destined for the landlocked nation.
About 10 years after an initial pull-out, shippers from Niger Republic had about two years ago, agreed to return to Nigerian ports, a feat achieved by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council.
Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso are the three main landlocked countries in the West Africa sub-region. They are more inclined to using ports of Francophone countries of Senegal, Guinea, Cote D'ivoire, Togo and Benin Republic.
The Nigerien shippers had complained that the era of port concession and the increased port charges drove them away from Nigerian, which shares about 1,600 kilometers of land border with their country.
Shipping Position Daily confirmed last week, that there is a high level diplomatic move by Ghana to snatch Nigerien shippers from Nigeria.
Our correspondent confirmed last week that to achieve its aim of cornering Nigerien cargoes to Ghanaian ports, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) recently initiated five-day Trade Mission to Niamey, the capital of Niger.
The Ghanaian ports’ delegation which was led by the Board Chairman of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Mr Peter Mac Manu also included the Director General of GPHA, Mr Paul Asare Ansah.
The delegation also included, Deputy Commissioner of Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, Alhaji Abubakar Seidu, representatives of the Ghana Shippers Authority, Ghana Police Service, Ghana Chamber of Commerce, directors of Port Terminals and Management of Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority among others.
Sources told our correspondent that the GPHA delegation assured the government of Niger that “Ghana had prepared itself to offer every assistance needed to allow commercially viable and cost effective importation and exportation by the people of Niger through Ghana's ports and corridors”.
The Ghanaian team acknowledged that, transit traffic through the two ports of Ghana has over the last four years steadily recorded annual growth from 609,320 metric tonnes in 2014 to 1,249,336 metric tonnes in 2017, representing an increase of 105 per cent.
The delegation lamented that even though Ghanaian ports are experiencing increased cargo throughput, Niger’s traffic through the two Ghanaian ports has nose-dived from 50,224 metric tonnes the previous year to 18,195 metric tonnes in 2017.
Responding, the Minister of Trade and Private Sector Promotion of Niger, Mr Alma Uomarou, complained about high port charges at Cotonou port as well as and transit cargo taxes.
The Nigerien minister reportedly urged Ghana to position itself to capitalise on the current situation and attract shippers from Niger to the Ghanaian ports.
Uomarou’s counterpart in the country’s Ministry of Industry; Mr Seydou Sadou also commended the Ghanaian delegation and urged Ghana to advance its lead in the international trade market within the sub-region.
The Nigerien Minister also reportedly raised concern about a private terminal operator, Bollore Transport and Logistics Company, which had been licensed by the Government of Niger to weigh/handle all laden trucks using the Ghana-Burkina Faso stretch to Niger. "The siting of the Bollore Terminal coupled with their charges is making the Ghanaian corridor expensive. We appeal to Ghana's ports to bridge the language barrier between the two countries by increasing information flow in the French language.
Shipping Position Daily recalls however that in 2016 at a forum hosted by the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shipping Council (NSC), Hassan Bello, a representative of the National Shipping Council of Niger Republic; Idi Hamissou had said that shipping companies in his country had resolved to return to Nigeria to do business, following the latest reforms being implemented by the NSC.
“We had used Nigerian ports since 1958 but the concessioning of the ports drove our shipping companies out of Nigeria in 2006.
“But going to Togo, Ghana and even Cameroon has not been easy for our shipping companies, so we’re returning to Nigerian ports next month, to be fully on ground in October.”
Mr. Hamissou said Niger Republic and Nigeria shared a strategic land border, spanning some 1,600 km, making it imperative for the two nations to take advantage of business opportunities existing between them.
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