Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transportation, has stated that a functional transportation system is critical for any country wishing to reap the full benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
The Minister made the announcement on Monday in Abuja at a two-day international conference organized by the Nigerian Institute of Transportation (NITT) in collaboration with the Ministry of Transportation and titled “The role of transportation in the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.”
Senator Gbemisola Saraki, Minister of State for Transportation, represented Amaechi, who praised the current administration for their ambitious investments in transportation infrastructure, particularly the railway, since 2015.
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“The transportation sector is the most critical in implementing trade facilitation, enhancing regional integration, and key to every other AfCFTA protocol,” according to the Minister. As a result, the Nigerian government has invested heavily in transportation infrastructure across the country in order to ensure transportation efficiency. These interventions include massive road construction, rail lines with access roads, inland water ports, seaports, new terminals in existing ports, dry ports with rail and road access, and inland container depots/freights, all aimed at constructing a modern and efficient transportation system that ensures Nigeria’s socio-economic development, regional integration, and trade liberalization.”
“Transportation and the African Continental Free Trade Area are like Siamese twins in that they are inextricably linked.” The main goal of the AfCFTA is to “create a single continental market for goods and services with free movement of businesses, persons, and investments, promote regional and continental integration, market access, and resource reallocation across sectors and countries” through transportation.
Amaechi stated that the Buhari-led government is putting in concerted efforts to improve intermodal transportation and trade facilitation by connecting major seaport ports in the country with rail lines, adding that with the completion of the Apapa Port Complex, goods will be moved from the ports to the dry port complexes in Ibadan, while goods bound for Kaduna and Kano will be moved to either Kaduna or Dala dry ports.
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He reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to improving digital infrastructure “by automating train, marine, and road operations, completing ongoing transport projects and upgrading through the completion and operationalization of the Abuja-Kaduna, Lagos-Ibadan, Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri standard gauge rail lines; rehabilitation of narrow-gauge lines, groundbreaking of the Kano-Maradi rail lines, commissioning of the deep blue sea project, and commencement of the wreck removal.”
He said the Ministry is “making giant strides to protect rail infrastructure and other infrastructures in order to provide an enabling and competitive environment” under his leadership.
Senator Saraki, the Honourable Minister of State for Transportation, added that the African Continental Free Trade (Area) Agreement’s primary goal is to create a single continental market for goods and services, ensuring free movement of businesses, people, and investments, and paving the way for accelerated economic growth and inclusive shared prosperity among African countries.
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Saraki stated that the National Action Committee (NAC) was formed to coordinate the activities of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), the private sector, and other stakeholders in order to successfully implement the AfCFTA readiness interventions.
She noted that the federal government has improved the road network “by deploying innovative funding approaches for strategic road projects, such as the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund, PIDF, which is investing over a billion dollars in three flagship projects, including the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the Second Niger Bridge, the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Expressway, and the Highway Development and Management Initiative, HDMI.”
Dr. Bayero Farah, Director General of NITT, also said in his welcome address that transportation infrastructure is widely regarded as an enabling industry that facilitates national, regional, and international integration and trade, emphasizing that “an effective transportation system promotes competitiveness, market accessibility, and economic growth.”
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He stated that Nigeria must begin to capitalize on its position as Africa’s largest economy by ensuring that its citizens benefit from a well-developed transportation infrastructure.
Top dignitaries, transportation industry stakeholders, and government officials attended the event, including Dr. Magdalene Ajani, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation.
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