The Nigeria Export- Import Bank (NEXIM) has requested for the designation of the Kirikiri Terminal in Lagos as the regional port for the Sealink project of the West and Central Africa sub-region.

The Technical Adviser to the Managing Director of NEXIM, Mr Hope Yongo, made the disclosure in a paper presented at the Sub-regional Workshop on Transport Costs and Connectivity of African countries held in Abuja.

In a copy of the paper made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Lagos, Yongo said the status of the terminal would be upgraded for Container Weight Verification in line with the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention.

He said that the Regional Sealink project was aimed at putting in place moderate transport costs for shippers in West and Central African sub-region.

Yongo said that there should be provision of dedicated regional maritime services to promote connectivity and trade frequency.

He said that there should be facilitation of formal and recorded trade prospects and improvement of trade within the sub-region.

“Broadening trade prospects and improving market access for regional goods and services.”

The NEXIM chief canvassed cargo support from all member countries and encouraged both private and maritime organisations to support and invest in the regional project.

He said that Messrs Marine Services and Supply Company Ltd. would deploy three ships for the pilot scheme of the Regional Sealink project.

“This is upon confirmation of Notice of Readiness (NOR) from Sealink Promotion Company Ltd.”

According to Yongo, the Regional Sealink Consortium is proposing ways of bridging infrastructure gap to facilitate trade.

He described the project as an “integrated maritime logistics services; warehousing facilities with container handling and weighing; deepening coastal maritime activities; and inland waterways.”

Yongo said that the Sealink project was born out of highest comparative international transport costs and excessive transit time, making intra-regional trade non-competitive.

He added that West and Central African transport and logistics costs were one of the highest in the world.

According to him, there is absence of dedicated safe and modern fleet to encourage and facilitate Atlantic Short-Sea Trade along the West and Central African sub-region.

“There is inadequate infrastructure among member states and non-tariff measures are barriers to increased intra-regional trade.”

He noted that ECOWAS trade in the past one decade grew from 4.7 million tonnes to 13.2 million tonnes without comparative increase in transport infrastructure.

Yongo also said that there had been low level of African container traffic; less than one per cent of total world container traffic of over 400 million containers.

The Sealink project has been endorsed and financially supported by the ECOWAS Commission for road shows.

It is also being technically assisted by the Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA)

NAN reports that the project also has the technical and financial support of the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) with Equatorial Guinea and Sao Tome |& Principe.

It also has the technical and financial backing of the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa of the African Development Bank (ADB0 to the tune o 302,000 dollars. (NAN)

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