09 September 2015, Kaduna – The Kaduna State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Inland Containers Nigeria Limited (ICNL) to operate a dry port in Kaduna.
Disclosing this to newsmen, Managing Director of Inland Containers, Mr Ismail Yusuf, said that the collaboration will further decongest the ports in Lagos while generating more revenue for both the Federal and Kaduna State governments.
Yusuf also disclosed that the Kaduna dry port has started offering skeletal services, adding that the port facility will commence full operation before the end of the year.
It will be recalled that ICNL was one of the six inland container port facilities that were recently gazetted by the Federal Government to operates port services across the country.
According to Yusuf, the commencement of the Kaduna dry port will see to the movement of about 29,000 containers from the seaports on an annual basis.
He said that the Kaduna dry port is a destination port that importers can consign their cargoes to while also serving as a port for transit goods going to Niger and other landlocked countries.
He explained that when the Inland Container Depots are up and running, the pressure on the seaports will be reduced and congestion will also be eliminated.
Lasting solution
“This is part of the Federal Government’s effort with Inland Containers Nigeria Limited to provide lasting solution to the congestion in Apapa Ports and extension of port activities to the hinterlands.”
He said that ICNL was also holding talks with the management of the Nigerian Railway Corporation on ways of moving containers up north by rail. He explained that ICNL was still discussing rates and the numbers of containers that will be transported to the Kaduna dry port on a weekly basis.
- Vanguard
