NPA Attracts Traders and Investors with Export Opportunities at Enugu Trade Fair

Esther Oritse

Lagos — The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, has implored the trading and investing public to explore the tailor-made simplified export processes and other vistas of opportunity present at the Nigerian Ports Authority.

Dr Dantsoho made this call on the occasion of the ‘NPA Special Day’ at the 36th Enugu International Trade Fair, with the theme of the year’s fair “Developing Nigeria’s Industrial Sector / SMEs for Economic Advancement and Global Recognition”.

According to him, the Authority in its bid to contribute to the strengthening of the domestic economy through the promotion of balance of trade, established the Export Process Terminal (EPTs) to simplify the hitherto burdensome process of exporting Nigerian goods, saying NPA has put measures in place to link value creators in the remotest part of the hinterland with the farthest clusters of demand anywhere on the globe.

He said that as Nigeria’s foremost trade facilitation platform, the NPA is always proud to be associated with the noble cause that the Trade Fair represents, especially seeing that trade remains the most veritable tool for actualising most of our economic aspirations.

He assured stakeholders that the doors of NPA are always open for partnerships even beyond the trade fair. “I therefore want to warmly invite you to interact with our business development team at the NPA pavilion and to also visit our fully interactive online real time website www.nigerianports.gov.ng To gain entry into our growth initiatives."

Dr. Dantsoho stated that the EPTs were designed to act as a single hub for cargo consolidation, packing, documentation, certification, and further shipping via an electronic system directly to ports with rapid processing times. This was aimed at reducing redundancies and administrative complexities that had made Nigerian exports less competitive globally.

He stated, "For enhancing the connection between ports and their inland areas, as well as establishing opportunities for Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (SMEs) to participate in the export value chain, the Economic Processing Zones (EPTs) should be integrated with Domestic Export Warehouses (DEWs). This integration must work alongside the NationalExport Promotion Council (NEPC) and other key collaborators."

To be consistent with the Federal Government's focus on streamlining business operations and in line with this year's trade fair theme 'Strengthening Nigeria's Manufacturing Industry/SMEs for Economic Growth and Worldwide Acknowledgment,' we are actively working to streamline our export procedures. This effort aims to facilitate the smooth passage of Nigerian-made products through our ports.

The NPA MD also revealed that to reach this objective, the Authority is removing points where human interaction can lead to covert transactions by fully automating all NPA processes and protocols via the Ports Community System (PCS), thereby establishing the foundation for the introduction of the National Single Window (NSW).

"For clarity, the NSW represents the global best practice for achieving maximum efficiency and value by facilitating smooth interactions among all participants in the trading value chain with just one click," stated Dr. Dantsoho.

Dr. Dantsoho praised ECCIMA for maintaining the tradition of warmth and business openness, noting how this continues to draw individuals worldwide to participate in the Trade Fair, thereby enhancing economic growth.

He emphasized that Enugu’s strategic location as the gateway to the South-Eastern interior offers substantial potential for expanding export opportunities, which is the main aim of the Authority.

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Trump Accuses South Korea and Japan of Blocking U.S. Car Exports Through Trade Barriers

On April 2, U.S. President Donald Trump charged that both South Korea and Japan were implementing non-tariff measures which hindered the export of American cars. He made this statement while unveiling his administration’s strategy for retaliatory tariffs.

Perhaps most distressing are the non-monetary limitations enforced by South Korea, Japan, and numerous other countries," Trump stated during his address at the White House Rose Garden. "Due to these massive trade impediments, 81% of vehicles in South Korea are manufactured domestically. Similarly, 94% of automobiles in Japan come from domestic production.

He pointed out what he termed as an imbalanced trading environment for autos. "Toyota exports around 1 million foreign-produced vehicles to the U.S., whereas General Motors barely manages to sell anything close. Similarly, Ford has minimal sales. Additionally, none of our companies can enter other international markets," he stated.

Trump also suggested that U.S. allies were sometimes worse than rivals when it came to trade practices. “Friend and foe, and in many cases the friend is worse than the foe in terms of trade,” he said.

Regarding agricultural trade, he stated that South Korea levies tariffs between 50% and 513% on U.S. rice imports.

Although South Korea imposes a 513% tariff on rice imports beyond its tariff-rate quota (TRQ), a reduced rate is applied to a specific quantity of these imports. Through this TRQ mechanism, 408,700 metric tons of rice face only a 5% duty, with the U.S. receiving an allocation for up to 132,304 metric tons within this framework.

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Pakistani Rice Shipments: 26,250 Tonnes Arrive at Bangladeshi Port

Dhaka [ Bangladesh On March 15 (ANI), the MV Mariam vessel transported 26,250 tons of Atap rice. Pakistan has reached the Chittagong port, Bangladesh The Food Ministry stated in a press release on Saturday.

The Daily Star mentioned that this constitutes the final stage of the acquisition of 50,000 tons of rice. Pakistan Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Directorate of Food, Bangladesh , and the trading company of Pakistan on January 31.

The MV Mariam reached the external anchorage of Chittagong port on March 11, and it docked at a port jetty on Friday, according to the report.

It was reported that following the successful quality assessment of the sample taken from the vessel, the process of unloading rice commenced on Friday evening.

Bangladesh received 26,250 tonnes of atap rice According to the report, the initial consignment under the Government-to-Government (G-to-G) agreement was delivered on March 5.

On March 6, The Daily Star reported regarding the Directorate of Food, Bangladesh , and the trading company of Pakistan the agreement was signed in January this year, stated Gnana Priya Bidurshi Chakma, who serves as the controller of movement and storage at the Chattogram food office.

As reported by the Dhaka Tribune, the Memorandum of Understanding for purchasing the rice was signed between the Directorate General of Food and the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh. Pakistan .

On March 5, Dhaka Tribune cited Mohiuddin Ahmed Chowdhury, food inspector at the Chittagong Movement and Storage Regulatory Office, who said: "Around 3,000 metric tons of rice can be unloaded from a ship daily. Based on this rate, it may take about eight days to unload the 26,250 metric tons of rice from the Pakistan I Vessel. In the previous month, a total of 93,783 metric tons of rice were offloaded at Chittagong Port , which was brought in from India and Myanmar."

This marks the first time rice has been purchased through a government-to-government agreement. Bangladesh 's Liberation War against Pakistan In 1971, the Daily Star published this report. (ANI)

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