About 24,000 Direct Jobs Will Be Created From Inland Dry Port, Kaduna Project-Bello
Oru Leonard
The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers Council, Barrister Hassan Bello has said more jobs will be created if the operation of the Inland Dry Port, Kaduna Project was optimised.
Barrister Bello said this during the inauguration of the cargo railway in Kaduna State on Tuesday, May 7, 2019.
“About 24,000 direct jobs will be created from this project. If we are able to connect the Niger Republic and Chad to use the port as the destination port for their cargoes, it will have a multiplier effect for Kaduna and its environs” he said
The Executive Secretary said the commencement of cargo delivery by rail at the port would address the challenges faced by importers and exporters and guarantee the seamless movement of cargoes from the seaports in Lagos to Kaduna Inland Dry Port.
On efforts taken to attract investors to use the facility, Bello said, “We are in preliminary discussion with the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council in London and we want to bring them to Kaduna so that they will know what value they can add to the dry port.
“We are talking with the Nigerian Railway Corporation to create more space for associated industries, for it is an industrial hub where things are also processed. We don’t want to be exporting raw materials without having them processed. So, there is also a need to improve on our packaging.
“We can then be able to decongest the ports in Apapa and Tincan Island and we won’t be having the gridlock we are experiencing now. It will take two days for the train to arrive from Lagos to Kaduna because we are using the old track, but we are improving and the movement must improve.”
According to Bello, the rail cargo delivery service currently has about 24 wagons and will bring in about 24 containers on each trip
At the inauguration was the governor of Kaduna state said that the transportation of goods from the dry port and containers from the seaport in Lagos to Kaduna by rail has confirmed that the inland dry port is functioning.
El-Rufai said, “You can ship your goods directly from Kaduna to any part of the world and you can also import goods from any part of the world directly to Kaduna without your containers or any of your goods being opened up for inspection in Lagos.”
