President Bola Tinubu will commission the much anticipated Funtua Inland Dry Port in Katsina tomorrow.
Funtua Inland Port is built through a public-private partnership (PPP) propelled by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC).
The Council in a statement described the actualization of the dry port as a significant milestone marked a pivotal moment of its commitment to facilitating trade in Nigeria.
The NSC noted that successful delivery of the Funtua dry port was also in line with the performance bond signed by the Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola.
“It is worthy to note that, this initiative is part of Council’s Key Performance Indicator (KPI) to deliver the Funtua Inland Dry Port Project before the end of the 1st Quarter, 2024,” the council stated.
According to the Executive Secretary/CEO of NSC, Pius Ukeyima Akutah, the establishment of the Inland Dry Ports being promoted by the Council will among other things, bring shipping and port services closer to the importers and exporters at the hinterland, decongest the Seaports, create job opportunities, improve and accrue huge revenue to the government.
In February, 2023, the Federal Government under the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration declared Funtua IDP as a Port of Origin and Destination which paved the way for importers and exporters to officially consign their cargo from Funtua to any part of the world.
This is the third in the series by the Federal Government to commission inland dry ports in the nation. The first was the commissioning of Kaduna Inland Dry Port in 2018. The Dala Inland Dry Port was also commissioned in 2023.