Lagos — Establishment of dry ports across the country will boost the nation's export earnings as they are expected to serve as points of consolidation and departure of exports.

Mr John Wajilda, a Deputy Director at the Nigerian Shippers' Council (NSC) stated this while speaking at a forum on "Inland Container Depots(ICDs)/Container Freight Stations (CFS) as a catalyst for enhancing hinterland shipping and economic development," held in Maiduguri, Borno state.

He said that apart from the ICDs and CFS serving as points of consolidation and departure of exports, exporters of gum arabic could also consolidate the product and move it from the Maiduguri freight station for shipment.

The NSC official explained that aside from reducing the freight costs of imports, ICDs and CFS would make the exports from the nation' hinterlands more competitive, hence making export ventures more viable and attractive.

"The ICDs/CFS will improve access to the seaports and international market from the hinterland, especially for agricultural products," Wajilda added.

According to him, ICDs/CFS will reduce the risk of travel distances and costs for shippers in the course of either taking delivery or sending their cargo to overseas.

Wajilda also noted that the projects (ICDs/CFS) would create more job opportunites for the youths and clearing agents as well as stimulate industrial growth around the areas where they were located.

He further said that the dry port projects (ICDs/CFS), apart from lowering congestion, would lower the demand for storage facilities at the ports, owing to faster transit of cargo to the hinterlands.

He stated that the project would also accelerate the development of other supportive economic and transport infrastructure like rail, road and waterways.

"The ICDs/CFS will capture the transit trade of land-locked countries of Chad, Cameroun and Niger," Wajilda said. The ICDs/CFS are in six locations: Maiduguri, Jos, Ibadan, Kano, Funtua and Isi-Alangwa