Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, met with the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in Lagos on Tuesday during which he discussed opportunities for his state’s local creators to link into the value chain.
Zulum’s administration, since 2019, has pushed to diversify Borno’s economy while also creating a conducive environment for business and investment.
The governor, who was received by the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the NPA, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, alongside Executive Director, Engr. Ibrahim Abba Umar, had paid a similar high-level visit to the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) last year.
At the NSC meeting, Zulum had pushed for the fast-tracking of the Maiduguri Dry Inland Port; a landmark project designed to bring port services closer to the northeast.
Once operational, the dry port will create thousands of jobs, generate significant internal revenue and boost Borno’s overall economic activity by reducing logistics costs and decongesting coastal ports.
In a related development, Zulum’s administration is also working to fully establish the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in Banki, a border town neighbouring the Republic of Cameroon, with the process already at an advanced stage.
By simultaneously advancing the Dry Inland Port in Maiduguri and the Free Trade Zone in Banki, Zulum is putting in place a coherent strategy to industrialise Borno, create jobs, generate revenue and permanently shift the state’s economy away from over-reliance on monthly federal allocations.
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