The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) has pledge support towards the repositioning of the Lilypond Container Terminal in Apapa, Lagos to become fully functional in order to boost agro-export in Nigeria.
The Acting Director General of the ICRC, Mr Chidi Izuwah, made the pledge on Tuesday during an inspection visit to the facility.
The terminal which is operated by AP Moller Finance Limited, has been designated by the Federal Government as a multi-purpose agricultural export processing and distribution facility under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreement.
Izuwah noted that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari was determined to diversify the Nigerian economy by focusing on agriculture and would continue to encourage private investors to the sector.
He said :" I want to assure you that the ICRC is keen on seeing that the Lilypond terminal is up and functional again as a multi-purpose agricultural export processing facility given the right business model.
"We are therefore here today to evaluate the prospects and likely challenges the terminal might face in the near future and take proactive step towards tackling same. "
Izuwah noted that the federal government's ports reform policy had yielded encouraging results and had further brought in efficiency in ports operation.
Responding, Mr Neil Mackin, Head, Business Development, AP Moller, said the terminal was hitherto used as an overflow facility for container handling.
Mackin noted that the company was aiming to establish a more sophisticated terminal that would be able to preserve perishable items including fruits, tomatoes, beans and yam for distribution within the country and also for export purposes.
He said when fully operational, the facility would increase employment in transportation and farming sectors, and alleviate poverty through farmers' empowerment .
According to him, it will also lead to economy diversification, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth as well as forex earnings through increased exports.
Meanwhile, the ICRC team also paid a courtesy visit on the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) , Mrs Hadiza Usman.
In his speech, Izuwah commended Usman for her efforts in restoring sanity, fair competition and building rewarding relationship with operators within the port.
He said the ICRC and the NPA need to work together to periodically review PPP agreements in the sector in order to ensure what was best for the country.
On her part, Usman said the NPA would continue to engage private investors in addressing some of its challenges and implementation of its ports reform programmes.
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