By John Obot
A Maritime Consultant and Deputy National President of the Association Nigerian Customs Licenced Agents, ANLCA, Dr Kayode Farinto has stressed the need for all hands to be on deck to work towards ensuring that all trade barriers inhibiting trade progress and development in Africa continent, are eliminated or at least reduced to the barest in up coming regime of the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA.
Dr Farinto stated this while presenting a paper on: “Dismantling Trade Barriers; Navigating Regional Trade”‘ at MARAN’s ANNUAL Conferences,2024, organised by the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria, MARAN, in Lagos.
According to Dr Farinto , working at eliminating the noticed barriers, would boost intra Africa trade, particularly those in value added productions and trade across all sectors of Africa’s economy.
Bringing all the fifty five countries to the African Union, and the eight regional economic communities to create a single market for the continent is a welcome development for the continent while the enablement of free flow of goods and services across the continent would boost trade in Africa.
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According to Dr Farinto, noted that one of the challenges that pose an impediment to the AfCFTA is Nigerians propensity to conceal vital information thus pretending that all is well even when the truth is obvious.
The truth he explained centered on the controversy surrounding the first shipment under AfCFTA.hence stressing calling for a change of attitude of concealing facts which often lead to distortion and confusion.in the system.
He advised that if AfCFTA must succeed, it behoves the Nigerian Customs Service to play a pivotal role in ensuring that trade facilitation is enhanced even when there is a pressure on the areas of revenue generation.
.The Maritime Expert related the experience Nigeria recorded in participating in Biachara Africa ,2024 Summit in Kigali, where the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service promised to enhance trade facilitation giong forward also advising that the Customs launces out her Standard Operating Procedure for the African Continental Free Trade Areas, AfCFTA..
Another issue which Dr Farinto sees as a big challenge in operations is the need for streamlining alerts hence prescribing sanctions for non-conformist Officers.
He harped on a proper Logistics Management for a faster and unhindered delivery of goods and services and necessary information to which meets customers needs.
The need for the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy to liaise with that of Trade towards ensuring that the over reliance on the road is reduced, hence resort to other modes like the rail, the air, the barges as alternative modes which could help in traffic management.
The Assistant National President of ANLCA, also mentioned issues of made in Nigeria tariffs and barriers, comprising the various fines, levies and taxes which he noted are daily killing trade rather than facilitating it.
The cumbersome process of regulating an item may require as much taxes and levies such as import permit, MAN CAP, examination costs before labelling such an item by the Regulatory Organisations.
.He also called for the harmonisation of Customs Operations to stimulate the in a way that Operations would seamlessly be easier and faster.
Talking about the battered image of Nigeria in the comity of Maritime nations, he noted that a lot need to be done for confidence build up with competitors in the sub region while noting that excesses of the Shipping Companies in giving preferential treatment to foreign Operators to detriment of indigenous Operations would not help fastrack the initiative.
Dr Farinto however expressed satisfaction over the constant incubation of the Cabotage Vessels Financing Fund, hence posing a thousand dollars question about when the fund would actually be reimbursed to the benefactors for the purpose of renewing the local fleets.
Corroborating Dr Farinto’s expositions, a Maritime Lawyer and the Chief Executive Officer of ZOE Maritime Limited, Barrister Edodo Temisan Emoren, who commended MARAN for the Conference, noted that AfCFTA is a very important instrument for Africa Continent which would help in economic growth of the continent.
She however called on the Customs Service to up its game by harmonising its operations and also called for the harmonisation of the relevant laws of the African Continent towards fighting against criminality.
To achieve this, Mrs Emoren said both commercial and criminal laws of the continent must be implemented to the letter so as to check piracy and others in the region.
She therefore urged the other African countries to emulate Nigeria’s progress with the SPOMO, the Special Anti Piracy act, as sponsored by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA.
Key note addresses were presented by the NiMASA, AMANO, the Nigerian Exports Promotion Council, TANTITA Security Limited and othe Agencies in the sector while Heads of some Agencies and seasoned Heads of Media Organisations were Panelists who took time to dissect the papers and issues which arose in the course of the presentation.
The Minister of the Marine and Blue Economy, Chief Gboyega Oyetola was represented at the event by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr Ismail Omipidan.
Awards of Excellence were given to the Panelists and top Personalities present at the Conference.
