Shippers’ Council, USAID Partner On Border Trade

The Nigerian Shippers’ Council and the United State Agency for International Development (USAID) West Africa Trade Hub have both reiterated their commitment to promote trade facilitation and reduce trade barrier in the West Africa sub region.

The Nigerian Shippers’ Council and the United State Agency for International Development (USAID) West Africa Trade Hub have both reiterated their commitment to promote trade facilitation and reduce trade barrier in the West Africa sub region.
Addressing newsmen shortly after the stakeholders meeting organised by the two institutions at the Seme border yesterday, Director of Commercial Shipping Services of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council;Mrs Dabney Shall Holma said that there was the need for the collaboration, even as she added that trade within the regions are not favourable due to border constraints.
Shall Holma added that the Shippers’ Council and USAID are set to encourage intra-Africa trade.She said that the gridlocks affecting border trades are human-made, pointing out that there is the possibility to eradicate such barriers as they  affect international trade.
According to her, the NSC was established to facilitate trade and as a member of African Shippers’ Council, it felt that it was its responsibility to address border trade.
She added that Nigeria represents the chunk of trade in West and Central Africa, stressing that 70% of trade in the region is mostly dominated by Nigeria.
" We felt there is need for this collaboration, hitherto we have a situation whereby the countries in West and Central Africa are not gaining from each other and we want to encourage that intra-Africa trade”’ she stated.
"We have looked at the disconnect ,we have looked at the lack of connectivity ,we have looked at so many issues on the path of trade and found out that all the gridlocks are man-made and if they are man- made, man can remove them and we felt  at the Nigerian Shippers’ Council  that this was a responsibility that we should take seriously" she stated.
Earlier in his remark, USAID Business Environment Director, Dr. Sola Afolabi said that the collaboration is aimed at providing assistance to shippers at the border.
He stated that  the collaboration will ease the flow of border trade among shippers adding that it cut across the West Africa states.According to him, one the problems faced by shippers is lack of information on tariff, trade regulation and procedures.
He mandated the Shippers’ Council to open and operate a Border Information Center (BIC)at Seme border and added that the BIC will provide useful information to aid shippers to facilitate trade across the region.
The USAID official noted that at Seme border which is the busiest in West Africa, there is the need to assist the shippers with the right information to facilitate trade and reduce delay in trade.
The stakeholders meeting had in attendance the Nigerian Customs service,Nigerian Immigration Service, Nigerian Agriculture Quarantine Service, Nigerian Police Force ,Port Health Service all in the Seme border.