The Kaduna Inland Dry Port commissioned recently by President Muhammadu Buhari, with the capacity to handle 29, 000 tons of containers yearly, is expected to witness an influx of containers from within and outside the country.
Already, interested businessmen have been frequenting the ports office located in Kakuri, Kaduna State, to make enquires on how to import and export their goods from the port.
It is expected that the port, which has a 40, 000 square meter capacity warehouse, will handle every kind of import and export facility just like it is done on the seaport thereby bringing goods nearer to businessmen and women.
Daily Trust gathered during a visit to the port that the parking area can contain 70 trucks with a full capacity storage warehouse of about 40,000 square meters, primarily to accommodate imported and exported goods as well as groupage by several individuals.
Before its conversion to an inland port, the place was a bonnet terminal i.e. a storage place where cleared goods are received after Customs checking and shipping clearance from Lagos seaport.
Though sources at the port said one major challenge is lack of a rail system connected to the port, our correspondent observed that a new, stronger and durable road is being constructed.
The Kaduna Inland Dry Port, which is the first of its kind in Nigeria, has been licensed to handle import cargo from Lagos seaport-Apapa/Tincan Island port, through the railway or road and also export goods through the same channel.
Our correspondent observed that personnel of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other relevant agencies have commenced operation at the port, having been provided with well-equipped office accommodation within the premises to ensure trade facilitation.
The dry port has an expansive container terminal, accessible by both rail and road with modern cargo handling equipment and tools to facilitate quick delivery and turnaround time.
Also available are large warehouses for cargo storage, export consolidation, stuffing/unstuffing operations and groupage, which is fully equipped with a technical workshop, modern examination bay, expansive container terminal, and modern Assycuda systems (for Customs).
Speaking to Daily Trust on telephone, the Kaduna InlandDry Port Manager, Mr. Rotimi Raimi, explained that the port was formally Inland Container Depot (ICDS) or a Container Freight Station (CFS) intermodal, directly connected by road, rail or air to a seaport and operating as a center for trans-shipment of sea cargo to inland destinations.
He said “The contractor handed over the structure to us and we are doing everything here including import from every part of the world and export too.
“People do not need to go to Lagos when they want to import cars, they should do it directly from Kaduna here and they get it cleared here at Kaduna Inland Dry Port.”
He added, “Things are moving well and exporters have been coming to make enquires on how long it will take to bring in or take out their goods so we are presently getting their details. For those who are new, their good will arrive between four to six weeks while those already in our data base will not take as long as that.
“Our advice to the importers is to adhere to the federal government’s guidelines on importation. Any importer or exporter that does not know what to do should come to us, that is why the port is here. We will enlighten them about all the processes so that they can be guided accordingly.
“We are expanding, and in the next five years it’s going to create a lot of employment. The employment rate, both direct and indirect, will be multiplying on a yearly basis. I have been saying this; when you remove Murtala Mohammed International Airport and the seaport in Lagos, the state is nothing and that was why the Kaduna State government ensured that the project became operational.”
Chairman Inland Container Limited, Tope Borishade, while speaking with stakeholders in Lagos recently noted that Nigeria was already loosing cargo to neighbouring countries, and promised that KIDP would improve government’s revenue by attracting more cargo into the country.
Borishade said the Kaduna dry port would not compete with seaports, but will collaborate to improve the ease of doing business, and called on shippers from all parts of the north and beyond to do business from the Kaduna port. He said it would save them the trouble of travelling to the seaports in Lagos, Port-Harcourt and Calabar to receive or send their cargo.
On the services the port has for farmers who want to export their agricultural products, Borishade said: “Farmers can form cooperatives, come forward with their farm produce and goods, and take advantage of our 4,000 square metres capacity warehouse at the port to store their goods for export forwarding to various countries aboard.
“This initiative will empower and create multiple employments in the community. It is a well-known fact that Kaduna State is the largest producer of ginger in the country, and the new port provides the opportunity for the exportation of processed agricultural produce to other countries of the world from Kaduna Inland Dry Port.
“The market for agricultural produce from Kaduna will improve tremendously with exportation of produce such as hibiscus, sesame seed, Shea butter etc to China, Singapore, America, UK and other countries of the world where agricultural products are in high demand.”
The Kaduna Inland Dry Port, gazetted on May 26, 2015, by the federal government as port of origin and port of destination, is among the seven dry ports being promoted by Nigerian Shippers Council. The first of its kind in Nigeria, the port has been licensed to handle import cargo from Lagos seaport-Apapa/Tincan Island port through the railway or road and export goods through the same channel.
It is estimated to generate no fewer than 5,000 direct jobs with the commencement of operations and will reduce the congestion in Lagos ports and provide relief for the busy Apapa Road.
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