The Executive Secretary/
Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Pius Akutah has commended staff for their dedication and selfless service to the Council especially in the last one year under his leadership.
Akutah made the submissions on Sunday in Lagos while reviewing his performance in office in the last one year.
Akutah also emphasized the need to strengthen maritime logistics and infrastructure.
Akutah said: “We are exploring partnerships with major global shipping companies to invest in Nigeria’s facilities and support this vision.
“We have extracted commitments from some of these companies, and we expect to make real progress over the next year.”
According to Akutah, one of the critical areas that the Council intends to address in the coming year is maritime logistics and infrastructure.
He said: “The shipping subsector of this economy is crucial, our ports are dependent on the arrival of ships, so our partnership with shipping companies is vital for trade and economic growth.
“Right now, connectivity within the African region remains a major challenge.
“Goods often have to route through Europe before reaching other African destinations, which increases both time and cost.”
Making reference to his achievements in the last one year, Akutah said: “In the last year, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council has made significant strides towards transforming the maritime sector.
“We have managed to push forward initiatives that many stakeholders consider critical to the progress of our sector.
“Through our conflict resolution mechanism, we have avoided costly disruptions. This work has not only improved the quality of trade but also saved our economy,”
Referring to the Council’s Bill, Akutah said; “By the grace of God, I believe that in the coming weeks, the Senate will give its concurrence, and we will then await Mr. President’s assent.
“This bill is a major initiative that will reposition our sector for economic growth, job creation, and other sectoral achievements.”
The Shippers’ Council Boss also harped on the need for Nigeria to exploit the African Free Continental Trade Area (AfCFTA), which he noted has opened the African market to over 1.5 billion people with a combined market size of over $4 trillion.
Amongst Stakeholders at the event were the President General of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, MSC Shipping Deputy Managing Director, Jacob Iosso, Chairman of Shipping Companies Association of Nigeria, SCAN, Boma Alabi SAN, President of the Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON), Lagos Chairman of Nigerian Union of Journalists, Mr Adeleye Ajayi.
