- Representative of the Minister of Trade and Investment andAssistant Director, Office of the Minister, Dr. Brenda Max-Nduagube (left), the Director, Human Resources, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Mrs. Adaku Victoria Okam, and others, when officials of the ministry, World Bank and National Trade Facilitation Committee visited the agency in Lagos…Monday
By Anthony Nwachukwu
The World Bank has urged a reduction of inspections along the border and related areas as a way to improve competitiveness and overall trade facilitation and grow the economy further.
Alongside the global financial institution, the Ministry of Trade and Investment and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) have identified simplified trade processes and procedures at the seaports, across states and regional borders as imperative for economic growth.
Speaking when the enhanced National Trade Facilitation Committee (NTFC) and the World Bank team visited the NSC in Lagos Monday, the Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Doris Udoka-Anite, said “the benefits of achieving harmonised, standardised and simplified trading processes and procedures are immense and cannot be overstated.”
Udoka-Anite, who was represented by an Assistant Director, Office of the Minister, Dr. Brenda Max-Nduagube, noted that “this is ever more important to small and medium-scale enterprises where the NTFC helps create a more business-friendly environment for SMEs venturing into global markets. This translates to increased competitiveness, growth potential and a more level play field.”
According to her, the World Bank’s steadfast support and collaboration “have been instrumental in advancing our national trade facilitation goals, strengthening our economy, and positioning Nigeria as a leading trade hub in the region. This aligns with the triple mandate of our ministry – to ensure the prosperity of industry, trade and investment in our country.”
Commending the Enhanced National Trade Facilitation Committee for tirelessly fostering collaboration and synergy across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and others, she explained that the World Bank was visiting to “fully understand the daily operations, inspection processes and trade bottlenecks, to identify policy options to make trade seamless for the Nigerian Government.”
On their part, leader of the World Bank team, Aleksandar Stojanov, said that they “look at ways of supporting the government in improving competitiveness and domestic value addition, so that Nigeria can take full advantage of regional trade agreements such as AfCFTA (African Continental Free Trade Agreement), as well as the international agreements that they have.”
He explained that they were on a fact-finding mission that will guide their dialogue on trade, adding that “reducing dwell time, improving trade processes will be important. Today, the World Bank has state-level trade operations, which has inter-state trade indicator, seamless movement of goods across states in Nigeria and export promotion at the state level.”
However, “there is one operation in the pipeline that will support trade facilitation, which has a linked indicator, that is on reducing inspections at the border and improving trade facilitation overall to the authorised economic operator system, which has been launched with the Nigeria Customs Service.”
On his part, the NSC Executive Secretary, Mr. Pius Akutah, described the council as a major stakeholder in trade facilitation in Nigeria, and West Africa at large, therefore the council is collaborating with many international government and trade facilitation groups.
“We work with transport and cross-border infrastructures to reduce transport bottlenecks and facilitate trade, both in local and international markets,” Akuta said vide electronic transmission,” Akutah said.
“To consolidate this effort and that of the international agencies, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council has embarked on trade facilitation tools like the inland dry ports, and complaint centres across the country, in order to facilitate trade in the hinterlands and decongest the seaports, especially Apapa and Tin Can Island.”
He disclosed that while on its mandatory activities, the NSC discovered that many traders along the border corridors perform their activities informally, with many small scale businesses carrying out their trades very well.
Therefore, “we intend to do everything within our mandate to ensure that we formalise these activities. This has necessitated the council’s collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service and other stakeholders to establish Border Information Centres at the borders.”
