Nigerian Ports and lack of inter-modal system of transportation

Today, September 17th, 2018, an international conference opens in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, where port administrators from Africa gather to brain storm on the problems militating against port efficiency on the continent.

They are being joined by their counterparts from other advanced maritime countries of the world, including international bodies such as International Maritime Organisation (IMO), WTO, UNITED and AFDB, which would avail the continent cutting edge technological solutions to the problem.

The conference, organised by the Nigerian Ports Authority, is under the auspices of the International Association of Ports and Harbours(IAPH)hosted by Hadiza Bala-Usman, the Managing Director of NPA by virtue of being the Vice-President, Africa Region, of IAPH.

The 3-day conference, with the theme “African Ports and Hinterland Connectivity” is meant to explore the concept of the theme and fashion out how best to apply it as a solution to under-utilisation and port efficiency in African countries.

We applaud the timing and the focus of the conference which, we believe, couldn’t have come at an auspicious time when Nigerian Ports are faced with myriad of problems that have make them inefficient.

Beyond other man-made problems, lack of multi- modal transport system has been the most critical challenge of Nigerian Ports that has made it grossly ineffective, inefficient and non -competitive.

Road transportation has become the only mode of evacuation of imports from the Nigerian ports to their final destination as well as exports from their sources to the ports.

Apart from the fact that evacuation of cargoes through road transport has become outdated in modern port system, it also impedes fast and efficient cargo delivery system in view of the dilapidated port access road infrastructures in the country.

Other means of transportation such as rail and water have been non -existent or ineffective in the cargo delivery system in Nigerian Ports.

Nigerian government has been making pretentious attempts to use alternative mode of transportation, especially rail, to evacuate cargo from the port.

As we say, the efforts have been largely pretentious to link the ports with rail system which is being done half-heartedly with no visible results.

This has greatly impaired the maximum performance and efficient utilisation of port infrastructures.

The African development report of 2010 states that” It is well established that efficiency at ports is crucial to the overall efficiency of the transport logistics chain. “However, a port is only as good, and its development only as viable as the transport networks linking the port to centres of production and consumption”.

Another more recent report in 2017 by OECD, an international Transport Forum, declares that “no matter how much capacity your port can handle, it cannot be utilised to its full potential as long as the connecting road or rail network is not equipped to handle similar cargo volume “.

Nigeriamaritime360.com is disturbed that not only did our existing ports fall short of this standard of cargo delivery system, the new port system called deep seaports project is completely bereft of this international procedure.

We note with great concern that the Lagos ports which comprise Apapa, Tincan that account for more than 60 percent of imports and more than 80 percent export capacity, are not linked to rail system.

To us, what government considers rail connectivity from Apapa, is mere pretentious.

More alarming is the fact that the deep seaport project in Lekki, reputed to be the biggest and most ambitious on the continent, was not designed to be linked with rail system.

The same applies to other deep seaports project in the country.

Hadiza Bala Usman, the Managing Director of NPA, expressed similar worry when she said she found out, on resumption of duty two years ago, that the so called modern port is not linked up with rail system.

We find this development as intriguing as it is unsettling.

We believe that deploying multiple modes of transportation in cargo delivery system at the nation’s seaports will not only enhance their efficiency but equally make them more competitive.

The laudable project of Inland Container Depots(ICDs) sited across the geo-political zones of the country, would be an elephant project if they are not connected to the ports they are meant to decongest by rail.

The purpose of port system all over the world is to serve as a transit point of cargo to its final consumers.

In order words, imports such as raw materials and finished products are transited through the ports to the places they are needed.

While the raw materials are transited through the ports to factories, agricultural products are transited to the hinterland while exports are also transited through the ports from hinterland and finished goods from manufacturing plants to their destinations abroad.

The port is therefore seen to have met its objective if these imports and exports are evacuated with minimum delay to their destinations.

However, delays in evacuation of these products and delivery to their destinations make ports inefficient and non- competitive.

This malaise (delay) in delivery system has been the bane of our ports system which often results to congestion that has rendered our ports most inefficient.

Over-reliance on one means of transportation, which is road transportation, has clearly hampered efficiency of our port system.

No wonder the National Bureau of Statistics in its March 2018 Report recorded a drop of Nigerian ports in global rating basically because of inefficiency which is a fall out of poor cargo delivery system.

We are pained that due to lack of commitment of government to exploit and explore other means of transportation system, other than road transport, for cargo evacuation which are more reliable and efficient, our ports have largely been reduced to storage facility as consignees abandon their cargo at the ports due to the malignant traffic gridlock on the dilapidated port access roads.

This, unfortunately, has made the ports inefficient and more expensive to transact business.

Curiously, the importers divert their cargo to other ports in the neighbouring countries with less potentials but more efficient port services.

To utilise the full potentials of the nation’s ports that will make them a hub for maritime activities in the sub region, the government should de-emphasise the use of roads which are in deplorable condition any way while water transportation in terms of the use of barges and rail connectivity should be fully activated.

That is why we welcome the International Association of Ports and Harbours conference going on in Abuja that has identified this problem that has hobbled the efficient performance of most ports in Africa, including Nigeria.

This platform however hopes that the conference will not just be another talk shop which resolutions and recommendations will eventually adorn the shelves where they gather dust.

We also encourage the government, as a matter of urgency, to expedite action on rail connectivity programme of the ports to the ICDs which we believe will enhance the optimum performance of the dry ports and make them serve the hinterland they are meant for.

Of equal importance is the need to include rail connectivity and use of barges in the design and development of deep seaports project that are going on in the country.

This platform recognises the passion and commitment of Hadiza Bala-Usman to efficient port service through inter- modal connectivity.

This explains her concerns and prompt intervention at the inexplicable failure of the promoters of Lekki deep sea port to include rail connectivity.

We are glad that she has made appropriate observations and recommendations to remedy the situation.

This platform therefore aligns itself with an expert opinion which says that “in order for trade to continue growing in future, Port -hinterland connectivity must become part of port strategy, planning and management”.

In that context, our vision and dream to make Nigerian Ports hub centre in the sub-region could only be realised if the ports are optimally and maximally efficient and cost effective through utilisation of inter-modal system of transport connectivity.