The Acting Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Alhaji Umar Yusuf Girei, has visited two ceramic manufacturing companies in Kogi State as part of efforts to enhance ease of doing business and support industrial growth in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
City Business News reports that visit was aimed at exploring areas of collaboration through which NIWA can support the expansion of the ceramic industry in the state by leveraging Kogi’s natural resources and the use of inland waterways for the transportation of raw materials and finished products.
Girei first visited BNL Ceramic, where he was received by Mr. Zhang Xin, who represented the Managing Director of the company. Zhang expressed the company’s readiness to partner with NIWA to optimise logistics and improve operational efficiency.
Addressing the management of BNL Ceramic, the Acting Managing Director explained that the purpose of the visit was to gain insight into the company’s operations, understand its challenges and explore practical ways of utilising inland waterways for the movement of both raw materials and finished goods.
The NIWA delegation also visited the West African Ceramic Company, where they were received by Mr. Emmanuel Oreye, representing the Managing Director. Speaking during the visit, Girei reiterated NIWA’s commitment to ensuring that Nigeria’s inland waterways remain navigable all year round, in order to provide industries with a reliable and cost-effective alternative to road transportation.
In his response, Oreye commended the Acting Managing Director for the visit, noting that the company requires NIWA’s support in transporting its finished goods via the waterways. He explained that West African Ceramic Company already uses inland waterways to move raw materials, a strategy that has significantly reduced production costs compared to road transport and helped mitigate logistics-related challenges.
The visit underscores NIWA’s ongoing engagement with the private sector to promote multimodal transportation, reduce logistics costs and drive industrial development across the country.
Members of NIWA’s management team who accompanied the Acting Managing Director on the visit included Muazu Dan’Azumi, General Manager (RPS); Engr. Dakio Horsfall, General Manager (Marine); Barr. Naziru Biyankare, General Manager (Legal); Engr. Fidelis Ejike, General Manager (Engineering); Engr. Muhammed Dangana, General Manager (Special Duties); Mr. Abubakar Danladi, Head (Finance); and DCP Shuaibu Audu, Commander, Inland Waterways Police Command.
