Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has urged the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPS) to scale up the non-oil exports from the state to boost foreign exchange earnings and employment among the youths in the state.

Zulum made the call on Tuesday in Lagos, during a visit to the management of the NPA, while he discussed various economic opportunities for Borno’s local creators to add more value chains, including foreign exchange earnings.

The state government’s administration, since 2019, has advocated for diversifying Borno’s economy while also creating a safe and an enabling environment for businesses and investments in the state.

The governor, who was received by the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the NPA, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, alongside Executive Director, Engr. Ibrahim Abba Umar, had paid a similar high-level visit to the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) last year.

At the NSC’s meeting, Zulum had pushed for the fast-tracking of the Maiduguri Dry Inland Port (MDIP); an economic landmark capital project, designed to bring Nigerian ports services closer to the Northeast region, comprising six states.

“Once operational, the dry port in Borno state will create thousands of jobs, generate significant internal revenue and boost the stae’s overall economic activities by what the governor described as, reducing logistics costs and significally decongesting coastal ports of Apapa, Calabar and Warri in south part of the country.

In a related development, Zulum’s administration is also working to fully establish the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in Banki, a border town with Cameroon, with the ongoing process already at an advanced stage of completion.

Beyond the scale up of non-oil exports from Borno, Zulum stated: “By simultaneously advancing the Dry Inland Port in Maiduguri and the Free Trade Zone in Banki, the state government is putting in place a coherent strategy to industrialize the state, create jobs, generate revenue and permanently shift the state’s economy away from over-reliance on the monthly federal accounts allocations.