Business
Body Seeks Rail Routes To Link Landlocked Countries
The International Africa Ports and Harbour (IAPH), has called for the construction of rail routes to link Nigeria with the landlocked countries to achieve maximum volume of cargo transshipment.
IAPH’s Vice President, Ms Hadiza Bala-Usman, made the call in an interview with The Tide source at the ongoing First Regional Conference of IAPH in Abuja, yesterday.
According to her, the Nigerian government has already embarked on massive deployment of rails across the country, which would link all ports location.
She stressed the need for transshipment of cargo and for Nigeria to address those gaps of not being able to capture the maximum volume of cargo meant for transshipment.
“We have a policy position that the government has taken that all ports must have rail connection and there is the need to utilise barges by using inland waterways.
“The management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has planned ahead in the Lekki axis because we do not want the challenges that obtain in Apapa port area to happen in Lekki Deep seaport.
“We have mandated rail connection to the Lekki area and we have discussed with Dangote Group on the need to have pipelines to evacuate the liquid bulk as the company concludes on its refinery and the fertiliser plants in Lekki,’’ Bala-Usman said.
She said that NPA had made submissions to the Federal Government on the Lekki bypass to avoid traffic congestion in the next five to 10 years.
The managing director said, “Lagos State is constructing another access road for Lekki area.’’
Bala-Usman, who is also the Managing Director of NPA, said that the authority encouraged the use of barges starting from Ikorodu Lighter Terminal.
She said that NPA was also providing seamless approval across the board to various companies that intended to use barges.
Bala-Usman described Nigeria as a great nation with huge volume of cargo, adding that Nigeria would continue to be the destination for cargo.
“Payment of tuition fees for undergraduate/postgraduate studies shall be subject to a maximum limit of $25,000.00 per semester,” the Manual states.
The expansion of international card limits also reflects growing confidence among lenders that foreign exchange liquidity has improved enough to support retail dollar transactions.
Speaking recently at the BusinessDay 14th Annual CEO Forum in Lagos, CBN Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the CBN said buying and selling activities now increasingly determine outcomes in the foreign exchange market, unlike in the past when market participants relied heavily on routine Central Bank interventions.
According to Cardoso, Nigeria’s net foreign exchange reserves have risen from just over $3 billion at the start of the reform programme to more than $40 billion, while gross reserves have climbed to about $52 billion, providing stronger confidence for investors and enabling the Central Bank to reserve interventions for periods of market stress rather than day-to-day liquidity management.
The restoration and expansion of international naira card spending limits are increasingly being seen as one of the clearest signs that the benefits of the CBN’s foreign exchange reforms are beginning to reach households, students and businesses making legitimate cross-border payments.
The Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer, WEC, Dr Angela Wilkinson, disclosed this in a statement, last Thursday.
“Nigeria’s participation comes at a pivotal time as the country seeks to expand energy access, strengthen energy security, accelerate gas development and mobilise the capital required for industrialisation and sustainable economic growth.
“WEC Nigeria will convene leaders from across the energy ecosystem, apply the WEC’s globally recognised Energy Trilemma framework to Nigeria’s unique context, and promote evidence-based dialogue, practical collaboration and informed policymaking.
“It will also ensure that Nigerian and broader African perspectives contribute meaningfully to global energy conversations,” she said.
Wilkinson expressed confidence that Nigeria would play a significant leadership role at the World Energy Congress scheduled for Riyadh in April 2027 and beyond.
The statement also quoted the Chairman of WEC Nigeria, Isa, as describing the country’s participation as an opportunity to deepen national and African leadership within the global energy community through practical solutions tailored to regional development priorities.
He said the platform would promote collaboration across sectors and attract sustainable investments into Nigeria’s energy sector.
The Chief Executive Officer of WEC Nigeria, Wunti, was quoted in the statement as saying that the council would connect leadership, evidence and investment to build a secure, affordable and sustainable energy system.
“This system will be capable of driving economic growth and shared prosperity.”
According to him, the platform will also connect Nigerian institutions and businesses with international knowledge, technology, partnerships and investment opportunities through the World Energy Council’s global network.
Recall that WEC, founded in 1923, is the world’s oldest independent and impartial community of energy leaders and practitioners, advancing informed, collaborative and practical action across the global energy system.
