Nigerian seaport Bill woes

Dr Princess Vicky Haastrup, STOAN Chairman and Executive Vice Chairman of the ENL Consortium, which operates Terminals C and D of the Lagos Port Complex, Apapa, told the Leadership newspaper that the issue is of major concern for concessionaires.

She said that the Bill, which has so far been eight years in the making, needs to be passed because it will give legal backing to the entire port reform programme and create a commercial regulator for the industry. The delay in its passage means: “If the comfort is not there, people will be afraid to invest more money in the industry.”

But the evidence out there seems to suggest conversely that the passage of the new Bill has so far had little or no effect on the development plans for new terminals and seaports in the country.

In December 2013, Port Strategy reported that Nigeria had won approval to develop its first ever deep sea port from the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

The Lekki Deep Sea port had been on the drawing board for a number of years and is seen to be a solution to port congestion, especially at Apapa.

Despite the lack of the Bill, big players such as ICTSI have made no bones about the fact that Africa is one of its most important regions in terms of growing business.

It sees its Lekki LFTZ Enterprise (LICTSE) as one solution to the current congestion in Nigeria, Bill or no Bill. It’s also looking further afield on the continent and has recently established its first terminal in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The government of Abia State has meanwhile announced on Twitter (Abiastategov Dec 23 2013 “A sea port to be established in Ukwa east #AbiaStateExco”) that a new seaport at Obuaki city in Ukwa West will be established to help to boost commercial and economic opportunities in the region.

But it’s unclear as to whether this new project could be affected by the lack of the new port Bill or if the landlord will struggle to find concessionaire/s to take on development in its absence.

STOAN is the umbrella organisation for all the concessionaries covering the nation’s 10 seaports.