Nigerian Shippers’ Council, ITC collaborate on cross border trade facilitation
The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has expressed readiness to accord necessary support to the International Trade Center (ITC) in the effort to address issues of cross border trade within the ECOWAS region.
The Council made the promise during a meeting with officials of the ITC at the NSC’s headquarters on Friday.
The idea is to improve on intra-regional agricultural trade at border crossing points.
Leader of the ITC and Program Officer, Richard Eke- Metoho, explained during the meeting that the team wants to identify areas for improvement in trade facilitation, adding that border crossing points was part of it.
He said that the NSC was identified in view of its position of collecting data as it manages the border information centre at Seme-Krake border.
He said that the challenges being faced by traders and truck drivers have been identified at the Seme-Krake border.
He pointed out the number of checkpoints and lack of scanners on the key route, stating that the information gathered by the team help in trade facilitation as it will lead to the development of new trade facilitation measures to tackle the challenges which face.
According to him, “We are here to collect experience from the Nigerian Shippers Council.
“From our interactions with the Shippers Council, we keep finding similar problem faced by traders most especially on the number of checkpoints and scanners that are really needed especially for transporters and truck drivers.
“It is still an ongoing study. The more information we collect right now, the more it will help us to make more informed decision process. At the end of the study, we will be able to develop a report that will pinpoint all the main obstacles that traders are facing.”
The Executive Secretary, NSC, Barr Pius Akutah pointed out during the meeting that his Council holds strongly to trade facilitation as a major initiative of the ports economic regulator.
Akuta promised to ensure that the Council provides necessary support to ensure the success of the study by ITC.
He said that the study will strengthen the Council’s efforts to gather statistics, formalize informal trade at and plan for trade volumes.
With the focus of the study on agricultural products, Akutah said this was a significant area with a lot of potential for Nigeria, not only in the African region but equally globally.
He said the study will assist develop skills and improve operations at the Border Information Centre which the Council manages.
Akutah said, “Trade facilitation is one of the major aspect of what we do so we are going to give you the necessary support to achieve the success that is desired.
“The study will help us to plan and develop more skills in terms of what we do at the Border Information Centre. Shippers’ Council is a partner and I want us to take our partnership to the next level that will focus on engagement with our stakeholders.”
