The Chairperson, Sea Link project, Mrs. Dabbed Shall- Holma has called on the African countries to harness opportunities in coastal shipping for the development of the trade in the continent under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). Shall- Holma stated this in a paper she presented at the just concluded 9th African Shippers’ Day in Lagos. The presentation was titled ” Coastal Shipping: A Sine Qua for Integration of Trade in Africa”. Shall- Holma, the former Director, Commercial Shipping Services Department of Nigerian Shippers’ Council, NSC, spoke on the benefits of coastal shipping, called on the African countries to remove tariff and non- tariff barriers that are affecting the regional trade. In his contribution at the technical session, the Director, Consumer Affairs Department, NSC, Chief Cajetan Agu maintained that the emergence of the AFCTA would increase trade in Nigeria. He also called on the African countries to put in place adequate measures to aid free flow of transportation on the continent.
In an interview with the Shipper, Chief Agu also spoke on the theme of the programme ” African Continent Free Trade Agreement: A Veritable Platform for African Shippers to Mainstream into Global Trade” and gave the reasons for chosen the theme of this year’s edition of the African Shippers’ Day. He also identified the issues that are inhibiting trade in African regions. In his part, the Chairman, Sea Transport Services Limited, Alhaji Aminu Umar identified lack of indigenous vessel ownership as one of the challenges facing coastal shipping in Africa, Umar said that adequate investments in vessel ownership should be given priority attention by member states. While stressing the benefits of AfCFTA, Umar wants all UASC’s member countries to key into the opportunities provided by the continental trade platform and commit their investments for the development of coastal shipping.
The Technical Adviser to the Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Import Export Bank (NEXIM), Mr. Hope Yongo informed that there are several funding
packages and benefits for interested ship owners and maritime stakeholders with bankable projects for the development of coastal shipping through opportunities
embedded in AfCFTA. According to him, NEXIM Bank provides funding for the development of coastal shipping and inland waterways.
