Review of port concession agreement ready by December - NPA Boss

Hadiza Bala-Usman, the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), has said that the much awaited review of port concession agreement with private terminal operators will be concluded by December, 2018.

Hadiza, who is also the Vice-President, Africa Region of International Association of Ports and Harbours, dropped this hint Tuesday in Abuja at the on- going IAPH conference.

In her paper presentation titled “Ports Governance Model-Our Experience” at the 3-day international conference, Hadiza disclosed that the Federal Government concessioned the ports to private operators in 2006 in a bid to encourage Public Private Partnership and facilitate shipping business.

She revealed that stakeholders, including the terminal operators and regulators have been clamouring for a review of the 12 year-old agreement, in a move to bridge loopholes in the existing agreement and enhance port operations.

She also confirmed that NPA was already meeting with the terminal operators to get their inputs on the review of the agreement.

“We have an inter-agency which has all the agencies of government that are part of the concessioning process.

“Also included in the review of the concession process are the Office of the Attorney-General, Bureau of Public Enterprises, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, Federal Ministry of Transportation, NPA and technical support from World Bank.

“Nigeria should expect a supplementary agreement that will be signed with the concessionaires,” Bala-Usman said, adding that there would be deliberate deployment of multi-modal transportation modes into all ports in Nigeria.

She highlighted that the mandate of the authority was focused on the business of carriers by land or sea, stevedore, wharfinger, warehouseman or lighterage man.

According to her, NPA also constructs and develops ports, docks, harbours, wharves, canals, water courses, embankments and jetties.

Bala-Usman said NPA could enter into agreement with any person for the operation of port facilities provided by the authority.

On the way forward for improved port operations, Bala-Usman said there was need for strategic decisions on the future of NPA as the ports landlord, while government should provide attractive conditions for direct foreign investments.

She equally stressed the need for the implementation of a 25-year Port Master Plan, massive investments in the upgrade of port infrastructure as well as digitalisation of ports operations in the country.

It would be recalled that the present NPA boss, at her assumption of office, had indicated her determination to carry out a review of the 2006 port concession agreement with the terminal operators which she said was skewed more in favour of the investors.

She had also noted that some of the clauses and conditions in the agreement have been overtaken by event, hence the need for the review.

Her position was corroborated and agreed to by the concessionaires who believed some clauses in the agreement are no longer realistic and some of the conditions unrealisable.