NPA licenses five export terminals tomorrow to boost competitiveness

To bridge existing import-export gap, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is to license Diamond Star Export and Terminals Limited and four others tomorrow.

NPA’s Managing Director, Mohammed Bello-Koko, made the disclosure yesterday in Lagos at the commissioning of Diamond Star Export Processing Terminal, Lilypond, Apapa.

He said: “In our effort to make Nigeria export competitive at the global market, this initiative is part of our commitment to implement the national action plan on agro export in line with Federal Government’s desire to diversify the national economy from oil export to non-oil export.

“The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has served as our technical partner in this journey. We are currently working to integrate the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) NXP (Nigerian Export Proceeds). NPA is not unaware of export warehouses handling manufactured products in other locations. So, we are working with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) export command to come up with modalities governing this aspect of export. Agro export boxes arriving the port from Lagos and Ogun states shall only be from this terminal and four others in the country and shall be officially presented their licence on November 3, 2022. So, for export containers arriving from the domestic export warehouses located across the country, the Authority is committed to receiving them subject to compliance with traffic management put in place by the Lagos State government.”

Bello-Koko continued: “For our terminal, operators, shipping companies and other stakeholders have been fully briefed on the procedures of ensuring success of the Federal Government national action plan on agro export. They have the responsibility to comply, as any action that hinders the operation of this terminal will be considered as sabotage and be treated accordingly. We will continue to encourage patriotic local investors.”

Speaking also, Managing Director, Diamond Star Export Processing Terminal, Olatunji Baale said: “What we are bringing to the table is competence, capability, prompt service and continuous engagement with our customers. Henceforth we will be witnessing quicker delivery of export cargo boxes.

“At this terminal, we have all the government agencies that in charge of examination and processing of export terminals so, it’s a one stop shop.

Speaking on the capacity the terminal can handle, he said: “We can do over 50,000 boxes within a week, but we will improve as we move along. Operation has commenced and we are good to go.

“The essence of this Terminal is also to improve the export trade and to reduce the imbalance in the import-export gap.