“NPA is ready to partner with any agency or company which will give a pride of place to intermodal transport as the continuous reliance on our road is no longer feasible and should be discouraged’’

Even as efforts at rehabilitating the port access roads continues, Managing Director, the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman has flagged off the first export consignment of manganese, a solid mineral resource from the Ikorodu lighter Terminal. This is even as NPA embraces intermodalism as part of efforts to further decongest the Apapa Ports.

According to the MD “NPA is ready to partner with any agency or company which will give a pride of place to intermodal transport as the continuous reliance on our road is no longer feasible and should be discouraged’’.

The MD stated that the flag off is of huge economic advantage to the country and that using barges to ferry containers of solid mineral across the waters to the APM Terminal within Apapa Ports will help to elongate the life span of our roads by using other means of cargo evacuation-which could generate more revenue for the nation and provide employment opportunities.

While calling on stakeholders to key into the window of Public Private Partnership (PPP), Hadiza stated that the occassion further deepens NPA Management efforts at complying with the federal government’s directives on the Ease of Doing Business at the nation’s Sea Ports whilst the rehabilitation of the Ports access roads are ongoing at Apapa.

In partnering with and encouraging private initiatives, the MD NPA added that Management would ensure the deployment of Standard Operational Procedures (SOPs) with the view to complying with international best practices.

The Chief Executive Officer of Connect Rail Services Limited (CRSL) Edeme Kelikume representing the service provider appreciated the NPA’s role in the provision of the enabling environment for the take-off of the project.

It would be recalled that from inception the present NPA Management made bold that it would promote the stimulation of export trade through the nation’s sea ports.