The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) will be partnering the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) to promote a conducive business environment and global best practices in the maritime sector.
Hassan Bello, the executive secretary of the NSC, disclosed this in Lagos on Friday at a meeting with PEBEC and shipping lines.
Bello said the NSC is assigned the responsibility of moderating and transmitting the manifests of shipping lines to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
“In line with the action plan to drive the Federal Government’s Ease of Doing Business policy, critical initiatives have been assigned to different agencies and the NSC is assigned the task to look at some operations of the shipping companies in a bid to ensure transparency,” he said.
The essence of the meeting was to seek the inputs of the stakeholders on the way forward, he said, adding that PEBEC was critical to investments in the country.
He affirmed that though it was the duty of the government to create and maintain a conducive atmosphere for businesses to thrive in the country, the support from the stakeholders would help move the industry forward.
“Today, the intimacy has started with this interaction with both PEBEC and shipping companies. They have heard many things about Nigeria and they have always been proffering solutions, they are critical stakeholders and partners,” Bello said.
Jumoke Oduwole, the senior special adviser to the president on industry, trade and investments, said the meeting threw up some challenges faced by the shipping companies and that the government would tackle them.
Oduwole said the committee asked for global best practices, which was obtainable and that the initiative would boost the economy.
“What we are asking for is global best practices and it is not beyond the shipping lines. They operate in other places and they made commitment to us that they will, indeed, be turning in their manifests as requested,” Oduwole explained, adding that the objective of the initiative was to work with stakeholders and ensure that things are properly done to boost the Nigerian economy.
