ICRC to collaborate with Shippers’ Council to fund dry ports’ projects

The Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC)
is to collaborate with the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) to make
Inland Dry Ports (IDPs) bankable and be attractive to more
concessionaires.

The Acting Director-General of ICRC, Mr Chidi Izuwah, said this
in a publication of the Council entitled “The Shipper’’, made
available to reporters in Lagos yesterday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that there are six (6)
approved locations for the Inland Container Depots (ICDs) /
Container Freight Stations (CFSs), which had been concessioned to
private sector operators by the Federal Ministry of
Transportation.

The six ICDs are: Isiala Ngwa in Aba, Erunmu Ibadan, Heipang in
Jos, Zawachiki in Kano, Zamfarawa, in Funtua and Jauri in
Maiduguri.

Izuwah said if the IDP was bankable, it would attract the right
level of financing from lenders and make them viable.

He said that both the council and the Federal Ministry of
Transportation were determined to make the IDP project
successful.

According to him, IDPs are included in the National Economic
Recovery and Growth Plan because the fastest way to increase such
capacity in any country is to build dry ports.

“The IDPs will build industries around them because it is about
transport and those area they are located will develop and grow our
Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“The government is working very hard. We have to face the
reality, building a rail is expensive and takes time.

“The existing narrow gauge lines transverse our country very
well and government is in the process of concessioning that narrow
gauge lines to General Electric to provide freight services.,’’ he
said.

According to him, presently many of the IDPs are located near
the rail lines, so it is just to put a siding.

“The one in Isiala Ngwa, Kaduna and Jos are near the rail and
the next thing is to provide people who can operate the system,’’
he said.

Izuwah, who said many people had good intentions, added that
they were not able to appreciate what they needed to do in terms of
preparation to develop the IDP project.

He said the feasibility studies for the licensed IDPs were not
properly done, stressing that there was no proper due diligence in
terms of the promoters.

According to him, for one to have a dry port, one needs to have
good connectivity between the ports and the IDPs.

“In Malaysia and in the Far East, they use IDPs in a standard
process. The only thing they do at the ports is vessel handling.
They do not clear goods at the ports, the container will just leave
the vessel on the land and the vessel will go away and they move
the containers to the IDPs.

“It is at the IDPs that the owner of the consignments will do
Customs formalities and clear the goods. Also the Inland Dry Ports
are points of origin and destination,” Izuwah said.

According to him, some of the processes required for
establishing IDPs were not done properly; that was why the ICRC
wanted to work with the Shippers’ Council to plug those gaps and
make them bankable.

NSC is saddled with the establishment of Inland Container Depots
(ICDs) or IDPs under the Public Private Partnership (PPP)
initiative in the country.

The Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC)
is to collaborate with the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) to make
Inland Dry Ports (IDPs) bankable and be attractive to more
concessionaires.

The Acting Director-General of ICRC, Mr Chidi Izuwah, said this
in a publication of the Council entitled “The Shipper’’, made
available to reporters in Lagos yesterday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that there are six (6)
approved locations for the Inland Container Depots (ICDs) /
Container Freight Stations (CFSs), which had been concessioned to
private sector operators by the Federal Ministry of
Transportation.

The six ICDs are: Isiala Ngwa in Aba, Erunmu Ibadan, Heipang in
Jos, Zawachiki in Kano, Zamfarawa, in Funtua and Jauri in
Maiduguri.

Izuwah said if the IDP was bankable, it would attract the right
level of financing from lenders and make them viable.

He said that both the council and the Federal Ministry of
Transportation were determined to make the IDP project
successful.

According to him, IDPs are included in the National Economic
Recovery and Growth Plan because the fastest way to increase such
capacity in any country is to build dry ports.

“The IDPs will build industries around them because it is about
transport and those area they are located will develop and grow our
Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“The government is working very hard. We have to face the
reality, building a rail is expensive and takes time.

“The existing narrow gauge lines transverse our country very
well and government is in the process of concessioning that narrow
gauge lines to General Electric to provide freight services.,’’ he
said.

According to him, presently many of the IDPs are located near
the rail lines, so it is just to put a siding.

“The one in Isiala Ngwa, Kaduna and Jos are near the rail and
the next thing is to provide people who can operate the system,’’
he said.

Izuwah, who said many people had good intentions, added that
they were not able to appreciate what they needed to do in terms of
preparation to develop the IDP project.

He said the feasibility studies for the licensed IDPs were not
properly done, stressing that there was no proper due diligence in
terms of the promoters.

According to him, for one to have a dry port, one needs to have
good connectivity between the ports and the IDPs.

“In Malaysia and in the Far East, they use IDPs in a standard
process. The only thing they do at the ports is vessel handling.
They do not clear goods at the ports, the container will just leave
the vessel on the land and the vessel will go away and they move
the containers to the IDPs.

“It is at the IDPs that the owner of the consignments will do
Customs formalities and clear the goods. Also the Inland Dry Ports
are points of origin and destination,” Izuwah said.

According to him, some of the processes required for
establishing IDPs were not done properly; that was why the ICRC
wanted to work with the Shippers’ Council to plug those gaps and
make them bankable.

NSC is saddled with the establishment of Inland Container Depots
(ICDs) or IDPs under the Public Private Partnership (PPP)
initiative in the country.