By ebosele@hotmail.com
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Inland Container Nigeria Limited (ICNL) have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening hinterland connectivity, improving cargo evacuation and facilitating trade through enhanced inland dry port operations.
The commitment was made during a meeting between the Managing Director of NPA, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, and his management team, and a delegation of ICNL executives led by its Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Omotayo Dada, at the NPA headquarters in Lagos.
Discussions focused on strengthening operational collaboration, addressing challenges affecting hinterland trade connectivity, aligning operations with national trade facilitation objectives and improving cargo movement from seaports to inland dry ports.
Speaking during the meeting, Dantsoho stressed the need to upgrade infrastructure at inland dry ports to enable them to handle increased cargo volumes and complement ongoing modernisation efforts at Nigeria’s seaports.
He called for stronger public-private partnerships to improve facilities, streamline logistics operations and create a more efficient business environment for port users and other stakeholders.
The NPA managing director also announced plans for a nationwide tour of inland dry ports to assess their operational readiness, infrastructure and capacity to support the country’s growing trade requirements.
Dantsoho disclosed that the NPA had achieved nearly 90 per cent automation of its operations, emphasising the need for ICNL to align with key digital trade facilitation initiatives, including the Eto electronic call-up system, Port Community Systems and the National Single Window.
According to him, greater integration with these platforms would promote real-time cargo tracking, enhance transparency, reduce operational bottlenecks and improve efficiency across the logistics chain.
In his remarks, Dada reaffirmed ICNL’s commitment to its partnership with the NPA, describing inland dry ports as a critical component of Nigeria’s multimodal transport system, linking coastal seaports with inland commercial centres.
He highlighted the strategic importance of the Kaduna Inland Dry Port in serving shippers in northern Nigeria and facilitating trade with landlocked countries, including Niger and Chad.
Dada noted that strengthening inland dry port operations would expand access to port services, improve cargo distribution and support the movement of goods beyond the coastal areas.
Both organisations pledged to deepen cooperation in technology adoption, intermodal transportation and rail-based cargo evacuation, while prioritising improvements to inland dry port infrastructure.
The collaboration aligns with the objectives of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy to improve port efficiency, reduce congestion and strengthen Nigeria’s position as a competitive trade and logistics hub.
The renewed partnership is expected to support a more integrated transport network, improve cargo delivery to hinterland markets and contribute to broader economic growth through more efficient trade facilitation.
