…To issue new tariffs schedule soon
Mkpoikana Udoma 11 August 2017, Sweetcrude, Port Harcourt – The Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority, OFGFZA, says it will soon issue a new tariffs schedule which would be applicable in all the free zones in the country.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of OGFZA, Mr. Umana Okon Umana, made this known while speaking at a Joint Stakeholders Forum with the theme, ‘Improved Service Delivery’ organised by the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, and OGFZA, in Onne, Eleme Local Government of Rivers State.
The OGFZA boss said the Authority was working on modalities to achieve the goal of meeting a new licences request within 14days and a renewal requestwithin 48hours, as obtainable in other countries.
Umana explained that the authority was partnering with the NCS to reposition the free zones for higher efficiency and greater productivity in line with the efficient-service-under-one- government concept where all relevant agencies are to work with OGFZA to optimise and expedite service delivery.
He described the Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali, as one of the key leaders for the actualisation of the federal government dream on the ease of doing business initiative and the overall policy of the economic recovery and growth plan.
“We also seriously addressing the challenge of high cost of doing business in the free zone arising from other tariffs, we have engaged all the stakeholders in this regard, including developers of the free zone and the IOCs, all of who have agreed that the tariffs are way too high and must be come down.
“In this regard, the Authority in line with the extant law and regulations will soon be issuing a new schedule of tariffs which would be applicable in the free zones.”
Umana also said OGFZA was partnering with investors to provide embedded power supply in Onne Free Zone within the next eight months.
He also commended the NCS and other stakeholders for their support to OGFZA in the implementation of the federal government policy on the ease of doing business.