The Federal Government has disclosed its plans to connect the North-South trading route through rail by 2021.
The government also disclosed that 25 major highways and 44 roads are currently under construction across the six geo political zones of the country.
The link is expected to boost the movement of passengers and cargoes as well as boost the economy of the country.
This was disclosed by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja when he addressed the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) Africa regional conference.
Nigeria currently holds the Regional Vice Presidency of the Association, through the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority.
The president while acknowledging developmental challenges in Africa called on nations to work together and deploy resources towards solving those issues that militate against the region.
He said: “It is particularly gratifying that it is at the time that Nigeria has the privilege of the vice presidency of this important body that the idea of a continental conference is coming up for the first time.
“This is a testament to our commitment to the development of the continent and its maritime industry in this particular instance.
“Nations in Africa are also largely connected by the same developmental challenges as well as large human capital and natural endowments.
“It behooves on us therefore to work together and deploy our resources towards solving those issues that militate against us.
“One of the resources that we can proudly speak about as Africans is our maritime endowments. A situation in which at least 39 of the 54 countries on the continent are either littoral or island states makes the formulation of policies for the effective utilisation of our waters for the growth of our economies expedient.
“This, in a sense, seems to be a divine ordination of our desire for continental integration. Even though we have physical national boundaries that separate us, the waters are a natural source of connectivity and they seem like a subtle message that we must work together for the good of all our countries.
He continued: “This is why there could be no better time than now to hold this conference. The theme of the conference: ‘African Ports and Hinterland Connectivity’ is itself a testament of the determination to collectively seek lasting solutions to the challenges that port operations face on the continent.
“After the issues of adequate security and transparency, the one other important factor deciding the competitiveness of ports is that efficiency with which cargoes are evacuated to and from the ports. This, without doubt is an area in which port operations in Africa needs a lot of intervention.
On efforts made to curb challenges faced by port operations, the President said: “There are on-going discussions in Nigeria and other African countries on the expediency of urgently investing in infrastructure that supports multi-modal means of transportation between our ports and the hinterland.
“This administration that I am privileged to lead is committed to rebuilding infrastructure that supports multimodal means of transportation from the ports to the hinterland.
“We understand that this interconnectivity will improve the country’s economic competitiveness as targeted under the Economic Recovery and Growth.
“So for starters, I have directed that every port must have the complement of rail infrastructure. Our projections is that by the end of 2021, we will have standard gauge railway across the main North-South trading route.
“The same level of serious attention is being given to the improvement of road infrastructure. At the moment, 25 major highways and 44 roads are under construction across the six geo political zones of the country.
“Just as we have insisted on the stimulation activities on our inland waterways. Major inland river channels are being dredged with adequate channel markings for ease of navigation all the way through the Eastern and Northern parts of the country.
“That is the only way to go if we plan to remain competitive in the maritime industry.”
He urged participants to proffer ideas that are central to the facilitation of trade and the total integration of Africa for even development.
Also speaking, the Minster of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi said Nigeria is committed to the optimal development and utilisation of the nation’s port potentials.
He said the federal government was in talks with the government of Niger for the construction of a standard gauge rail line to connect Mahardi in Niger with Katsina State in Nigeria.
According to him: “Our desire in Nigeria is to have ports that are not just part of transport and logistics supply chains in themselves, but Ports which are landlocked transit corridors and directly connected through rail to the inland Dry Ports for efficient evacuation of cargoes.
“We are as a result committed to developing the intermodal transport system as a mechanism to reinvigorate the conveyance of maritime logistics.
“The task of opening up the hinterland where the largest population of our people resides and where most of the agricultural produce are domiciled becomes a challenge that requires urgent response which this administration has provided and we are totally determined to strategically link up the 36 state capitals with the Federal Capital, Abuja with standard gauge rail services.
He continued: “Recently we embarked on the realignment and re-modification of the national railway gauge lines and the revitalisation of the once moribund Lagos to Kano Express Train.
“In the same vein, the Kaduna-Abuja rail lines which was meant to improve the movement of our people and ease the transactions along that corridor. This has also been completed and operational.
“Similarly, the Lokoja- Itapke – Warri rail line started operations only a few months ago while the Port Harcourt-Aba-Maiduguri axis is being reconstructed to standard gauge to further open up the nation’s hinterland for market penetration.
“With the development of dry ports in Kano and Kaduna with direct rail connection, cargoes and containers easily now transit to the nook and crannies of Northern Nigeria.
“This, also extends to Chad and Niger Republic in our determination to promote trans-shipment of cargoes to the neighboring countries.”
On the proposed connection of Niger Republic to Nigeria through rail, Amaechi said: “The Federal Government of Nigeria is also partnering with the government of Niger in the construction of a standard gauge rail line to connect Mahardi in Niger with Katsina State in Nigeria.
“This is also part of our efforts to promote regional integration and trade between our two nations.
He also said as part of government’s determination to create an efficient multi-modal transport system, the inland waterways are being revitalized as another alternative to other modes of transportation.
“At the moment, inland river channels are being dredged starting from the River Port in Onitsha up to the Northern region of Lokoja in Kogi and Baro in Niger States with adequate channel markings for ease of navigation.
“It is an established fact that solid minerals like manganese and agricultural produce are already being exported out of Nigeria from the Ikorodu Lighter Terminal through barges on the shallow lagoon extending to the Apapa Port in Lagos.
“As part of government’s consciousness that Nigeria, with a land mass of over 30,000 square miles and 900 miles coastline needs to open up her hinterland, we have facilitated the establishment of General Electric site in Calabar, Cross River State.
“From here, the company will manufacture rail wagons and provide other support services to ease the connection of the nation for efficient movement of the citizens and evacuation of our farm produce”, he said.
He also said the governemnt was working with Chinese Engineering Corporation Company to remodel the current narrow gauge rail lines into standard gauge so as to fast track the seamless transportation of people and good.
Speaking on the importance of the conference, the Vice president of IAPH (Africa) and the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority, Hadiza Bala Usman said the conference would provide a platform for the discussion and formulation of ideas that would create policies for the effective administration of ports and increase collective capacity for efficiency.
She also said the continent needs to do more in the area of clearing of cargoes out of the ports.
She said: “There is no doubt that Africa holds a special place in the global maritime space, with 39 of the 54 countries on the continent endowed with littoral assets, the development of the continent is to a large extent, tied to the optimal exploitation of its vast maritime resources.
“Since we, as brothers and sisters on the continent are also affected by relatively identical limitations and concerns, this conference gives us the opportunity to explore ways of cooperation for the development of our ports and the economies of our countries, ultimately.
“There is no doubt that one of the determinants factors for the relevance of ports is the speed and seamlessness with which owners of cargo are able to move their consignments out of the ports and that Africa really does still have a lot of work to do in this area.
“For these and so many other reasons, the theme for the conference, African Ports and Hinterland Connectivity, is one that will hopefully unleash the potential of our ports to contribute to development”, she said.