EU plans €411m investment in Lagos inland water transport, seeks NSC’s input

The European Union (EU) has announced plans to invest €411 million in Lagos’ inland water transport sector.

The EU delegation, led by Celine Lhoste, Team Lead, Regional Cooperation, EU Delegation, Abuja, disclosed this in Lagos on Monday during a visit to the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) to seek their input and collaboration on the project.

The delegation also expressed readiness to partner with the Council to improve regional trade and deepen investments in the transport sector.

Speaking, Lhoste, said the proposed intervention, dubbed the “Omi Eko” project, is aimed at reducing tranport congestion and transportation cost in Lagos state.

She said, “We have a project called ‘Omi Eko’ which is aimed at reducing the transport congestion in Lagos State and also reduce the transportation cost and time delays for residents in Lagos. This is a project that is estimated to cost €411million which will be supported by the European Union together with the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the European Investment Bank.

“We will start in a couple of months after all documents have been signed. We are meeting with Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) and all necessary agencies to sort out the different agreements. We also want to meet the various agencies and partners like NSC to know the strategic planning for shipping and the improvement of transportation within the Lagos area, across the nation and for the region.”

Lhoste noted that the EU pioritizes support for transportation and trade through the Lagos- Abidjan corridor and the Omi Eko project.

“We are supporting Lagos but we aren’t just looking at an improvement in transportation of people and goods within Nigeria but also across the neighbouring countries.

“This visit is to first establish a contact with the agency and discuss plans for transportation especially in decongesting the Lagos ports, increasing trade in the region along the corridor,” she said.

Also speaking on the purpose of their visit, the Transport Officer, EU Directorate General International Partnerships, Jesus Gavilan, said the project was considering providing hard and soft infrastructure for Nigeria and the West African sub-region.

According to Gavilan, there was an initiative launched two years ago by the President of the European Commission to improve connectivity between Africa and Europe, and to achieve that, “transportation is key with regards to the infrastructure.

“We are committed to invest in the development of corridors across Africa. We have selected about 12 corridors, but we want to support countries on this Lagos-Abidjan corridor. We also want you to support and give an appraisal of ‘Omi Eko’, which is for waterway transportation in Lagos.

“Meanwhile, we look forward to opportunities to collaborate in order to boost transportation and trade along the Lagos-Abidjan corridor, as well as other opportunities such as railways, among others, ” he said.

Earlier, the NSC Executive Secretary, Mr. Pius Akutah, told the EU delegates that the agency is saddled with trade facilitation in the ports and along the transport routes and promotes the development of key transport infrastructure, including Inland Dry Ports (IDPs), Vehicle Transit Areas (VTAs) and barging as well as rail transportation, among others.

Akutah, who was represented by the Director of Human resources, Mrs. Ada Okam, urged the EU to collaborate with the agency in those areas to aid port decongestion, transportation and other related matters.

Akutah listed the agency’s other duties to include setting tariffs and handling charges at ports, which he said has helped reduce overtime cargoes and abandonment of cargoes.

“The Council also monitors the joint boarding exercises on ships by examination agencies. This helps to reduce the time vessels spend at the ports and it improves ship turnaround time.

“NSC equally addresses complaints relating to cargo abandonment and other challenges while it sensitizes port users on the importance of speedy handling of cargoes at the ports. Following the advice of NSC, the processes at the ports have been automated. The Council equally sets standards that are being monitored for enforcement,” he said.

Photo caption: 

The Director, Human Resources, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Mrs. Ada Okam ( right) presenting a plaque to the Head of the European Union delegation, Celine Lhoste, during a visit to the NSC headquarters in Lagos on Monday.