About eight years into the port concession exercise, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has given five port concessionaires approvals to expand their businesses through building of more facilities.
The authority also said that so far, it has been able to achieve 60% performance of its annual budget.
Managing Director of NPA, Mallam Habib Abdullahi gave this revelation last week while presenting the stewardship of the current management of the agency since two years in office.
About eight years into the port concession exercise, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has given five port concessionaires approvals to expand their businesses through building of more facilities.
The authority also said that so far, it has been able to achieve 60% performance of its annual budget.
Managing Director of NPA, Mallam Habib Abdullahi gave this revelation last week while presenting the stewardship of the current management of the agency since two years in office.
The concessionaires that were granted approvals to expand their facilities includes: Ports and Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML) at the Tin Can Island Port, Greenview Development Nigeria Limited (GDNL) at the Apapa Port and MRS Oil and Gas also at the Tin Can Port.
The others are Niger Dock and Digisteel Limited.
The NPA boss stated that, in order to encourage private participation in port development, technical approvals were granted to Digisteel Ltd and MRS Oil and Gas to expand their services at Ogogoro Island and Tin Can port respectively.
Speaking further, he said, "we have also granted approval to Niger Dock for development of additional berth to its existing one at Snake Island"
"Similarly, we are processing a number of applications from prospective investors, already, applications from PTML and GDNL have been processed and recommended for requisite approval" he said.
The NPA boss also said that the authority has instituted moves to strengthen the concessioning of its towage services with approvals for construction of four tug boats by the Federal Executive Council (FEC)
Abdullahi said that government has also approved the outsourcing of towage services in Port Harcourt, Onne, Warri and Calabar ports, even as he assured that this will eliminate the complaints emanating from stakeholders over delay of ships at the ports.
"This does not mean that our other pilots will not be working, they are going to be working. We have also gotten the Federal Executive Council approval for four tug boats"
He said that prior to his emergence as the managing director of the NPA, the agency had been performing poorly in its budget performance.
"Back then it was about 35% to 40%, last year we did about 70%, this year we will try and increase on that, we are already around 60% to 70%, so I think there has been an improvement"
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