Managing Partner/CEO of Dala Inland Dry Port, Mohammad Kamalia (right), presenting the Reviewed Full Business Report on the facility to the Executive Secretary/CEO of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Hassan Bello (middle), and the Chairman of Dala IDP, Abubakar Bauro
Sequel to ascertaining its bankability, viability and sustainability, the Managing partner/Chief Executive Officer of the Public Private Partnership Advisories, Mohammed Kumalia, has presented the Reviewed Full Business Report on the Dala Inland Dry Port (IDP) in Kano State to the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) and the port’s management team.
Speaking at the event in Abuja, the NSC Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer, Hassan Bello, said the project aims to decongest the ports and highlight the achievability of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement.
According to him, the location of the dry port will boost trade and reduce barriers to international trade, and will on completion complement the Kano-Katsina-Jibiya-Maradi rail line and the Lagos-Kano standard gauge, which will be integrated into the project.
Bello noted that the NSC has consistently provided support to the concessionaires within the confines of the implementation guidelines and extant regulations, according to a statement from the agency.
The dry port project is expected to create value for money by reducing transport cost and saving time in the movement of cargo to the hinterland, while increasing accessibility to Nigeria’s landlocked neighbours in the north.
Concessioned in 2006 alongside six others, the IDP has suffered a lack of accessibility to long-term funding and support from previous governments, as well as the regulatory gaps that existed when the concession exercise was initiated, among other setbacks. However, the project received a boost in 2018 when it found new investors.
The report will be submitted to the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) through the Minister of Transportation for the issuance of a full business case compliance certificate, while skeletal services are expected to commence by June 2021.
