Kaduna Inland Dry Port to become fully operational before year-end

Inland Container Nigeria Limited (ICNL), the promoter of the Kaduna Inland Dry Port, Nigeria’s first dry port, is perfecting arrangements to kick-start full operations of the inland dry-port before the end of the year.

This is following the recent upgrading of the inland container depot located in Kaduna to a dry-port status by the federal government in May this year, thereby giving the container depot, the right to become the port of origin and destination for importers and exporters based in Kaduna and its environs, whose businesses will benefit from the port. 

With its present status, the dry-port would be able to receive and export consignment directly from and to any seaport in the world. Also, on arrival of any container meant for Kaduna Inland Dry-Port in any seaport in Nigeria, the operator of the dry-port would lift the cargo using rail wagons and other haulage companies to move the consignment to the dry-port, where the importer is expected to clear and take delivery of the consignment.

“ICNL Kaduna has been upgraded to a dry-port status through a federal government gazette dated May 2015 and we have signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Kaduna State Government to operate the new dry-port as a joint venture,” said Ismail Yusuf, managing director of ICNL, who spoke to BusinessDay in Lagos recently.

Yusuf, who noted that many northern based businessmen face huge challenges to take their consignments from Lagos ports, giving the distant and incessant traffic congestion around Lagos seaports, which add to the cost of doing business, also stated that the dry-port would help to ease these difficulties as their cargoes would be brought very close to their doorstep.

According to him, the benefits of the dry-port to businesses are numerous owing to the fact that it will help to reduce the cost of doing business as importers and exporters would not be expected to travel to Lagos, pay for transport, accommodation and use self-paid truck to take delivery of consignments.  This, he said, is owing to the fact that the promoters of the dry-port will be lifting these containers directly from Lagos seaport on cheaper rate to the dry-port location.

“We are going to be bringing the finished goods and raw materials of the northern based importers for them at the port and will also move the containers for export down to Lagos port. The dry-port when fully operational will create jobs for Nigerian and wealth to state and federal government through taxes and import tariff,” he explained.

Also speaking, Rotimi Raimi, deputy general manager, who described the port as a link between northern businesses and the international port communities, stated that the port will service businesses in Abuja, Kano and Kaduna.

“The operation of the dry-port is going to boost economic activities in these listed states by bringing port operations close to the people. This will help decongest Lagos port and reduce the number trucks coming to Lagos,” Raimi stated.