Daniel Gumm
4 July 2008
NIGERIANS exporters last week made history in Lagos as stakeholders in the manufacturing and export industry came together at the first batch of shipment of Nigerian goods to Liberia and 125 different types of products were packaged in a 20-foot container laden and destination? Liberia.
The event which took place at the Lagos Headquarters Annex Office of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Apapa brought together stakeholders in the export industry from Liberia and Nigeria to supervise the loading flag-off.
From the NEPC came Mrs. Omowumi Osibo, Ag. General Manager, NEPC, Headquarters Annex, Apapa; Alhaji Mohammad Abdulsalam, MD/CEO, NEXPORTRADE Houses Ltd., S'Muyiwa Famakinwa, Director, NEXPORTRADE Houses Inc. Liberia, 'Deji Odebiyi, Country Manager, NEXPORTRADE Houses Inc., Liberia and Mr. Gabriel Ekpo, Executive Secretary, MANEG.
The products which ranged from cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, toileteries, household products, manufactured products with 30 per cent to 45 per cent local raw material input, processed food, agro allied as well as lubricants were on display before the final loading.
The loading event would have turned sour but for the NEPC, which made alternative provision of space at its office where the goods were kept and Cobalt Services International, Bureau Veritas, the Nigerian Customs Service, all carried out their pre-shipments duties.
NEXPORTRADE had initially secured a hall at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex as its loading point where all pre-shipment of the cargoes destined for Liberia would have taken place and all the agencies would have done their jobs and sealed the container before going on export but that was not to be as result of the deteriorating state of the complex.
Vanguard investigation indicated that the hall secured by NEXPORTRADE was leaking badly and repair work were yet to be carried out.
NEXPORTRADE had to fall back on the NEPC alternative to launch last week's event, as the the Chairman, NEXPORTRADE Task Force, Mr. Kola Oladapo said "the task force is to ensure that we make a success of the first delivery of Nigerian exports to Liberia.
The task force is burden with the responsibility of ensuring a smooth delivery of the first consignment of Nigerian goods to Liberia.
On how he would ensure his responsibility that this first export of goods leaving Nigeria were delivered on time, he said: "First, what we have done immediately is to mobilise all potential or intending exporters to Liberia both from the big companies which are members of MAN, and the smaller companies which are members of NASSI, NASME, ANE, all those that have just begun to export, we want to bring their goods - small-scale industries - foods, cosmetics and so on. We are trying to mobilise every body and we are really getting a lot of response from Nigerian manufacturers."
On whether his committee's work that started in Nigeria, would also extend to Liberia, he explained that "when you send something, it has to be received at the other end, we are mobilising all the resources in Nigeria to ensure that all constraints to smooth export are overcome. For instance, how do we deal with inspection agencies, shipping companies, even packaging by our members? We must ensure also that our loading bay is protected so goods that are put in the custody of NEXPORTRADE Nigeria Limited are safe."
NEXPORTRADE, according to him had rented a warehouse on a leasehold basis, "it had been renovated and we have a proper sign-board to indicate that this is a Nigerian warehouse, our staff are standing by to laiase with Eco Bank, Liberia which is the supervising bank for this scheme.
In other words, we are ready provided the goods leave Nigeria and be received at the other end in Liberia."
Asked to comment on why the warehouse in Liberia is ready and the loading point in Nigeria was not ready before the flag-off of the first shipment he said "the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex has been neglected over the years.
We are probably one of the few entreprenuers that really want to awaken the use of the complex. "We have gone to the management of the complex and obtained a warehouse but the facility has been in a state of total disuse for a long time to the extent that when the rains come, we notice a lot of leakages and we have discussed with them to really put every thing right so that we can keep our goods there. But that was not to be and we have to fall back on the NEPC alternative."
On shipping line for the Liberia shipment, Oladapo said, "we are ussing WASA Delma, and we also looking at alternatives. WASA Delma is ready to take our goods to Liberia. It will cost about $2100 per 20-foot container from Lagos to Liberia."
He said it costs $500 from Lagos to Tema, Ghana. "But there is only one country between Ghana and Liberia - Cote d' Ivoire. It is not fair for someone to pay $500 to reach Ghana and pay over $2000 to get to Liberia. This problem is caused by the low volume of trade between Nigeria and Liberia. That is why the shipping cost is very high."
Oladapo said NEXPORTRADE "is a non-profit organisation. It is like a facilitator of trade between Nigeria and those smaller countries, where it is not easy to get reasonable consignment of goods delivered to them. Nigeria is not engaging in any formal trade with Liberia in spite of the fact that Nigeria spent so much money and human resources to ensure that peace and stability in Liberia. The people taking advantage of the situation are the Asians.
This is the time Nigeria should go into Liberia. Our joy will be that Nigeria is trading with Liberia, we are not bordered about the cost yet but to get Nigerian goods present formally in the Liberian market."
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