The Nigerian Shippers’ Council has solicited partnership with the Edo Ministry of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives to engender active participation of entrepreneurs in the state in international trade.
The new Zonal Head, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, South-South Zone, Mr Glory Onojedo, made the appeal during a familiarisation visit to the Edo Commissioner for Industry, Trade and Cooperatives, Mrs Afishetu Braimoh, in Benin on Thursday.
Onojedo said the state had lots of agricultural potentials as well as manufactured products that could be harnessed for export purposes.
“We want to organise seminars and enlightenment programmes for businesses on how they can penetrate the outside market.
“Our mandate is to protect the interest of Nigerian Shippers’ as well as facilitate international trade in the country.
“We want to also capitalise on the huge vehicular movement in and out of the state to boost businesses.
In her remarks, Braimoh said the state government was ready to partner the council to make export processes easy for exporters in the state.
“We are already working with Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) to bring more investment to the state.
“We are putting infrastructure in place to boost their businesses and we plan to have regular town hall meetings for SMEs owners”.
She, however, said that too many regulations in the export trade as well as high cost of shipping were bane on international trade.
In a related development, Onojedo paid a familiarisation visit to the Edo Commissioner for Physical Planning, Urban and Regional Development, Mrs Isoken Omo.
He told the commissioner that the visit was to strengthen ties as well as seek support in the actualisation of the Atlantique Marine and Engineering Services (AMES)-Edo Inland Dry Port project and the Vehicle Transit Areas.
“We are here to appeal that the roads and all other physical development that need to make the AMES-Edo Inland Dry Port functional should be put in place”.
In her response, the commissioner said the state government was reviewing its Town planning Master Plan and assured that the road leading to the AMES- Edo Inland Dry Port world be incorporated into it.
Omo, represented by Mrs Kate Isokpunwu, Director of Vetting in the ministry, said the state government was working to ensure that all titled government land and building are secured.
……….Reiterates Resolve To Activate Edo Inland Dry Port
Meanwhile, the Council has also reiterated its resolve to activate the Atlantique Marine and Engineering Services (AMES) Edo Inland Dry Port and the Vehicle Transit Areas (VTAs).
Mr Glory Onojedo, the Director, NSC, South-South zone, said this in a meeting with the Edo Shippers’ Association in Benin on Thursday.
Onojedo said the projects were critical infrastructure that would on completion create massive jobs, boost businesses as well as export and import activities in the south-south region of the country.
“The VTAs projects are on course and as soon as the title documents for the lands are received from the Edo government, the Shippers’ Council will move to the next stage of the project which is the procurement of private investors.’’
He, however, said the plots of land allocated for the VTAs were not sufficient to carry out ongoing work.
“We are appealing to the Edo government to give a little more land so that the architectural design can fit into them.
“There is an encroachment on one of the lands allocated for the VTA and we are appealing to the state government to address the issue, or better still give an alternative land that will not have challenges.’’
He noted that a port economy would be replicated in Edo through the AMES-Edo Inland Dry Port.
According to him, the AMES-Edo project is ongoing except for little issues that need to be sorted out between the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, the Federal Ministry of Transportation and the Edo government so that we can move to the next stage.
Read Also; VREG: ANLCA Urges FG To Address Persistent Server Failure
He commended the Edo Shippers’ Association for being proactive in initiating policies that would promote shipping activities in the country.
Onojedo said that the council would continue to support the association through seminars and facilitation of seamless trade activities.
Earlier, the president, Edo Shippers’ Association, Mr Ozaveshe Balogun, urged speedy completion of the AMES -Edo Inland Dry Port as well as the VTAs in the state.
Balogun also appealed to the council to assist in creating awareness and disseminating information to members on current trends in global shipping business.
Kindly like us on Facebook
