Tola Adenubi, Author at Tribune Online

The leadership of APM Terminals Apapa has met with the Special Adviser to the Oyo State government, Tilewa Folami, and agricultural commodities importers and exporters, to better understand their logistics challenges and needs, and share the benefits of the Apapa-Moniya rail product with them. Led by the Terminal Manager, APM Terminals, Steen Knudsen, the team comprised of Marketing and Commercial Intelligence Manager, APM Terminals Nigeria, Adetunji Igbaugba; APM Terminals Apapa, Way of Working Senior Lead, Jan Jensen; and APM Terminals Apapa Key Client Manager, Adesoji Olaniyan. The journey began with a rail trip from Ebute-Metta to Moniya, followed by an assessment of the Moniya rail terminal. The delegation then attended a lunch meeting with agricultural commodities customers, including the Special Adviser to the Oyo State Government and Director at IITA, Tilewa Folami. Terminal Manager, Steen Knudsen said, “The vision behind the Apapa-Moniya rail product launch is to open Nigeria’s hinterland, making it easily accessible to international trade. "This is especially critical for agricultural commodities that are perishable and require scheduled logistics service that is reliable and predictable. "This would greatly improve the business prospects for importers and exporters in the hinterland that require a fixed, reliable rail schedule to get their commodities to Apapa port.” Accompanying the APM Terminals team were the Denmark Consul General, Trade Counsellor, Jette Bjerrum, and Commercial Trade Advisor to the Danish Consulate, Victoria Epelle. Consul General Jette Bjerrum highlighted Denmark's extensive commercial activities in Nigeria, focusing on improving the agricultural value chain. She said, “Denmark aims to support local interests in the export, agricultural, energy, and livestock sectors, with government approval for cold chain initiatives to enhance market support.” Emphasizing ongoing road construction to improve connectivity, including linking Shaki to Benin, Tilewa Folami, discussed the state's plans towards industrialization and agricultural consolidation. He highlighted the importance of the Apapa-Moniya rail service for logistics planning to avoid traffic congestion, as the area is set to host a new city and the largest market in West Africa, in collaboration with France. Tilewa Folami said, “It would help if APM Terminals shares data on the progress of the rail service with us, weekly and monthly updates. Additionally, it would be great if you could establish an office in Moniya to handle customer enquiries. “On the part of the Oyo state government, there are plans in the making for a cargo and international passenger airport, local trade focus, and an upcoming summit in May with 150 companies and regional investments.” Several agricultural importers and exporters who met with the terminal team, also shared insights about their businesses, challenges, and needs. Key questions raised included the need for booking from Ibadan without traveling to Lagos, cold chain requirements, data sharing by the Oyo State Government to drive investment, and cargo consolidation at the terminal. APM Terminals Apapa had last month in collaboration with the Nigerian Railway Corporation, flagged off the Apapa-Moniya rail service which departs from Lagos, thrice weekly, delivering and evacuating cargo in and out of the port. READ MORE FROM: NIGERIAN TRIBUNE