NEPC lauds effort to establish export logistics centre

THE Nigerian Export Promotion Council, (NEPC) has thrown its weight behind the proposed export processing facility at the Lilypond container terminal.

Against this backdrop, the Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Olusegun Awolowo, has commended the management of Lilypond Container Terminal, Ijora for planning to establish an export processing and logistics facility at the terminal.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of a conference themed, ‘‘provision of seamless logistics service as a panacea for economic growth,’’ Chief Executive of the Council, Mr. Olusegun Awolowo, said that the government will support every effort that will reduce the cost of exportable Nigerian goods.

Awolowo said that the government wants to sustain the progress so far recoded in the exportation of agricultural goods.

Similarly, convener of the Conference, Mr Las Shobande, noted that there is a need to develop a seamless logistics chain that will make export business more profitable with a view to helping the overall growth of the nation’s foreign exchange earnings.

He reiterated the need to support export trade by providing the appropriate platform to enhance a seamless logistics service for economic growth.

He suggested that one of the ways to achieve this is by establishing a one-stop-shop facility to handle the entire process from receipt of goods, stuffing of containers to shipment.

Shobande stated: “We are familiar with various obstacles that have beset service delivery in the logistics chain.

“These ranges from inadequate documentation, the process of picking up and stuffing containers, examination, the gate in, warehousing, amongst others.

“The poor state of the roads leading to the port with the attendant loss of man-hour on a daily basis is another major challenge that affecting the sector.

“Our ports have not helped the need for inside stuffing of containers by exporters and adequate examination procedure for reasons of inadequate space and security.”

Shobande who is also the Managing Director of Accessport commended the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) for keying into the vision of the NEPC in developing a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in ports across the country.

He explained that his organisation will discuss with other stakeholders in the logistics chain so as to make the entire process easier as all steps in the chain are inter-dependent.

Source:   sweetcrudereports.com/2017/06/04/nepc-lauds-effort-to-establish-export-logistics-centre-at-ijora/