The Shipping Association of Nigeria (SAN) has blamed cumbersome cargo clearing processes at the nation’s seaports for the high cost of shipping goods into the country.
Speaking at the end of its monthly meeting in Lagos, the Chairman of the group, Boma Alabi, said shipping is a two-way business that should cost less in terms of time and charges.
Alabi explained that because the Nigerian ports are revenue driven, the ports have become more expensive than other ports across the West African sub-region.
“There are so many agencies operating in the ports and we have to follow and obey whatever regulations they put in place that is our reality. Inefficiency and high charges do not rest with SAN. If I collect the charges because that is what the regulator has said I should do, I will collect and pass them on to whoever it is that has put the regulation in place.
“Most of what we do is containerized movement of goods both in and out of Nigeria. Shipping is important for import and equally important for export. From our perspective, we want to see the export grow because nobody would want to bring in a full vessel and go back with an empty vessel. So we encourage exports because it benefits us, it benefits the Nigerian economy.
“In the series of talks we would have, we will zero in on certain areas where we can bring in more efficiency so that it cost us less to export our goods; cost us less in time, cost us less in wastage,” she said.
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