Nigeria is preparing measures to ease export constraints and increase foreign-exchange earnings, as officials seek to build an economy less reliant on imports and crude-oil revenue.
What happened
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Speaking at a weekend event in Abuja, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Managing Director Abubakar Dantsoho said the government intended to address obstacles facing exporters and improve the flow of foreign currency into the country. He said stronger trade resilience would require reliable infrastructure, stable fiscal rules and smoothly connected supply chains.
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Dantsoho said Nigeria could no longer base its economic resilience primarily on imported goods and oil income. He pointed to the Federal Government’s recent decision to assign the NPA responsibility for managing and developing Inland Dry Ports (IDPs), saying the move would extend more efficient port services to companies located away from the coast.
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Under the new arrangement, exporters in northern and central Nigeria, including businesses in Abuja, would not have to transport raw commodities to seaports before completing port clearance and documentation. Dantsoho urged business owners and prospective entrepreneurs to take advantage of the opportunity and enter the export market.
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Agabaidu Jideani, a director of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry, called for closer cooperation between public agencies and private companies. He said such coordination could make trade easier, open up investment opportunities and improve the connection between Nigeria’s maritime industry and the broader business community.
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Jideani added that the performance, reach and competitiveness of Nigerian ports directly affect importers, exporters, manufacturers, distributors, logistics providers, retailers and many other businesses across the economy.
