NSC seeks to improve Nigeria’s bilateral relationship for port economy growth

The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) is intensifying efforts to enhance the country’s port infrastructure and operations in a bid to harness the full potential of the maritime sector.

Speaking on Friday while seeking partnership from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Executive Secretary of NSC, Dr Pius Akutah, lamented the ill-treatment Nigerian shippers face during foreign trade.

Outlining areas within the maritime industry that require further improvement in bilateral relationships, Akutah informed the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, of the need for the Nigerian government to engage countries like China to ensure better treatment of Nigerian shippers in trade with those nations.

He said, “We are looking at the issue of overseas treatment of Nigerian shippers because many of our shippers complain about certain constraints they face in their activities outside the country.

“We are thinking that, with your support, we could establish liaison desks in your embassies to support Nigerian shippers, especially in countries like China, where significant trade activities occur between our people and the Chinese market.”

Speaking further, the Executive Secretary stated, “We are looking at improved trade intelligence that will assist us. As a data-generating agency, we want to see how trade intelligence can help us navigate dispute resolution between our shippers and other shippers globally through diplomatic channels, which you (referring to the Minister) champion.

“We are also exploring blue economic diplomacy. Today, Nigeria has embraced the blue economy, and there are countries with mature blue economies that we want to partner with.

“For instance, countries like Canada have very mature blue economies. We want to leverage your capacity to help us promote our blue economy in those countries, facilitating technical cooperation to help build our own blue economy.

“Additionally, we are looking at promoting maritime research and ecotourism, which are integral parts of the blue economy. We can leverage your various embassies worldwide to help us develop relationships with other countries that will enable us to establish these initiatives quickly,” he stated.

Akutah explained that the Minister of Foreign Affairs is crucial to Nigeria’s foreign policy objectives, adding that the shipping sub-sector of the economy operates on a global scale.

“This partnership is necessary to help us reach out to partners worldwide because our business is not just local; it is a global business,” he stated.

While receiving the Executive Secretary, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, urged the Council to collaborate more closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to achieve the stated objectives.

“I think you need to do more in terms of collaborating with us and continue to remember that these goals cannot be achieved without working with us.

“We need to work more closely with each other. An agency might be under one particular ministry, but that does not mean we should not work together on issues of overseas trade support. I am very happy to work with you,” the Minister said.

The Ministry and NSC may, in the near future, sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to further strengthen the partnership with operational guidelines.

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