NIGERIA INLAND WATERWAYS INFASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT: OPPORTUNITES & CHALLENGES NIGERIA INLAND WATERWAYS INFASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT: OPPORTUNITES & CHALLENGES NIGERIA INLAND WATERWAYS INFASRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT: OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES NATIONAL INLAND WATERWAYS AUTHORITY Paper Presented by Hajia Inna Maryam Ciroma, CON Managing Director/CEO National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) As a brief to the ABALSS international Workshop on Financing Infrastructural Development of the Maritime Services, Trade Logistics, Oil & Gas Exploration and Production Management. HOUSTON TEXAS. 8 th November, 2013
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NATIONAL INLAND WATERWAYS AUTHORITY Paper Presented by Hajia Inna Maryam Ciroma, CON Managing Director/CEO National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) As.
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The Act vests in NIWA the power to exclusively manage regulate and control activities and operations on Nigeria’s inland waterways. This power is exercised on Nigeria’s over 3000 kilometers of navigable waterways from the Nigeria/ Niger and Nigeria/ Cameroon boarders to the Atlantic Ocean including the nation’s portion of the Lake Chad, creeks and lagoons.
Nigeria is blessed with a river configuration very suitable for North- South movement of people and cargo. Despite its great potentials and opportunities it provides for the economic development, waterways resources are grossly underutilized and undeveloped. In order to elicit efficient, prudent and profitable utilization of the Nigerian inland waterways transport system,
According to Chief Ernest Shonekan, ‘’Infrastructure is the biggest challenge to the growing Nigerian economy. Vision 20:2020 is not possible without a significant up-scaling of Nigeria’s infrastructure “.Decaying infrastructure is one of the deficiencies in Nigerian National Economic Development Strategy (NEEDS)
Inland waterways huge infrastructural deficit has thrown up opportunities for investment in virtually all physical infrastructures and recourses extraction in the sector. An improvement in the institutional structure and features of inland waters system and its associated public utilities are essential to attain economic growth.
Infrastructural Intervention Requirements in Inland Waters includes;• Dredging to remove silt and other
impediments; • River ports and jetties construction;• Installation and maintenance of
navigational aids, such as Gauges and Buoys etc.
• River training works including construction of cross dams, dykes, etc to ensure the achievement of highest level of efficiency and seamless operations;
• Improvement of port –linked flow –in landward connection to the Port ;
• River bank protection;• Maintenance of dredged channels,• Installation of maritime communication
and data gathering and processing devices
• Classification of Waterways/design of suitable river craft for it.
Through “ infrastructural development “, the adequacy of inland waterways infrastructure helps determine Nigeria success and failure in diversifying its production, expanding trade ( domestic and foreign) with its growing population, reducing poverty , or improving economic condition of its citizenry . Inland water transport (IWT) is one of seven (7) major infrastructural factors of the Transformation Agenda. Other factors include energy, agriculture, communication, finances, education and health.
OPPORTUNITIES OF DEVELOPING THE INLAND WATERWAYS INFRASTRUCTURE
Developed inland waterways resources will open up windows of economic opportunities that will attract Public Private Partnership in the sector. These investments that could be harnessed include but not limited to the following:
Provision job opportunities: The development of inland waterways infrastructure in Nigeria will create job opportunities not only for maritime personnel but the entire populace, thereby reducing the unemployment rate in the country and promoting economic growth.
Integrating rural communities,Dockyard services/management;Cargo barges and work boats construction; Tanker barges construction for fuel transportation and storage Passenger and Bulk cargo ferry services;Tank farms;Tourism and hospitality service delivery;Hydro power generation;Oil and gas exploration and supply services; Poverty alleviation;Establishment of private ports and jetties;Production industries;Concessioning of inland river ports/ jettiesPipeline network laying etc.
All these are windows of opportunities for investment in inland water sub sector of the economy.
The challenges include, but are not limited to the following:
Funding;Review of existing Laws to provide Legal framework for private sector investments;Private patronage is very low in acquisition of modern vessels;Awareness of the vast potential and opportunities in the waterways sub- sector is very low by the general public;Community demands for corporate social responsibility (CSR);Bank Erosion;Dynamic nature of the principal rivers Niger and Benue;Cargo generation;Political instability;Economic instability;
The importance of dredging and maintenance of Inland Waterways resources in Nigeria cannot be over emphasized cognizant of the importance of efficient transport infrastructure facilities in catalyzing economic development. In this regard, the Federal Government of Nigeria is committed to providing the required infrastructure and enabling environment that is safe, environmentally friendly and cost effective through Dredging, Construction of Ports/ Jetties, strengthening security in the waterways. The vision is to provide water channels that supplement and compliment other modes in order to achieve seamless intermodalsm in the Nigeria transport network.
•Arc. Ahmed Aminu Yar’Adua, mni:Progress Report on Dredging of Lower River Niger – Presentation To Presidential ProjectsAssessment Committee (PPAC)
•Engr. Mansur Ahmed, FNSE: The International Forum On Harnessing The Gains Of The Lower River Niger –AtDolly Hill Hotel, Onitsha 2011
•Chief Chris E. Orode FCA: Paper on investment opportunities and critical conditions for a sustainable inland waterways transport system in Nigeria,2011.
•Prof. Bamidele Badejo: Dialogue on Power, Potential and Prospects of the Inland Waterways, 2005
•Oni, S. I. and Okanlawon, K. R. (undated), Nigeria’s Transport Infrastructural Development: An Integral Part of the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) internet link.