Amaechi, Dangote, Soyinka for Transportation Infrastructure Roundtable

Idu Jude, Abuja

The Federal Ministry of Transportation will on Thursday, November 9, 2017 in Lagos hold a breakfast meeting to find ways of bridging the infrastructural gap in the nation’s transport sector.

Organizers of the event said the focus of the roundtable is to brainstorm on ways to address the infrastructure deficit in the transport sector, decongesting the seaports by ensuring the smooth
take off of the Inland Container Depots (ICDs).

The roundtable which is an initiative of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) is also aimed at fine tuning arrangements for the establishment of Truck Transit Parks (TTP) to provide short-term resting place for truck drivers on long distance travels and reduce loss to life and cargo caused by accidents arising from fatigue.

Among those expected at the roundtable are stakeholders in the transportation sector, captains of industry, the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), AFRICEXIM Bank, and top government functionaries.

A statement signed by NSC’s Head of Special Duties, Mr. Ignatius Nweke said the Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi will be the Chief Host at the event and would lead discussions with the aim to deal with issues of funding for the Inland Container Depots (ICDs) and the Truck Transit Parks (TTP), both PPP projects targeted at decongesting the sea ports and providing public rest areas designed to provide temporary rest location for truck drivers.

“The roundtable will parade key transport industry stakeholders, Captains of Industry, notable among them, World’s richest black man and President of the Dangote Group and AbdulSalam Rabiu of the BUA Group.

“It is primarily intended to engage leading investments and development companies and banks like the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), AFRICEXIM Bank and many other investors to bring in their resources and invest in these viable projects that
would bring good returns within a short period of time,” Nweke said.

He said Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka; Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Oscar Onyema and Director General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Engr. Chidi Izuwah will be keynote speakers at the event.

Nweke explained that while Inland Container Depots (ICDs) otherwise referred to as Dry Ports operate as centres for transshipment of sea cargo to inland destinations, Truck Transit Parks (TTPs) are places for short-term breaks and also long-term parking services where truck drivers can get fuel, food, restrooms, shower and basic supplies like oil and spare parts as well as servicing and repairs of haulage vehicles.

He said the roundtable will among other things, deliberate on how to consolidate on the success recorded with the (ICDs), upon the completion of the Kaduna Dry Port.

According to him, the roundtable will equally discuss the market analysis that has already been conducted as well as how the business and operating model can address the supply gap for a modern TTPs.

“Feasibility studies has been conducted for the establishment of the Truck Transit Parks in Lokoja ( Kogi State); Obollo-Afor (Enugu State); Jebba (Kwara State); Ore (Ondo State) ; Ogere (Ogun State); Porto Novo Creek (Lagos state); Onitsha (Anambra State) and Mararaban
Jos (Kaduna State),” he said.
The statement said the Truck Transit Parks will have the following facilities: Gas Station, Hotel and Motel, Restaurants, Mechanic Workshop, Fire Station, Police Post, Automated Cargo Tracking System.