By Sandra Chukwunyere
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has unveiled plans to facilitate the development of a West Coast cargo jetty to the boost seamless movement of goods and services across the sub-region.
The Acting Managing Director, NIWA, Mr Yusuf Girei, said this in a statement on Friday in Lagos.
Girei said the authority may operationalise some of its existing jetties to enhance cargo traffic between Nigeria and Ghana as a pilot phase of the initiative.
He said the decision was reached during a joint inspection of the Marina Jetty in Lagos by the officials of the Nigerian Ports Authority, the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIWA and a Ghanaian delegation of corporate and private sector trade representatives.
He reaffirmed the agency’s readiness to support the proposed jetty project.
“NIWA possesses extensive waterfront infrastructure capable of driving efficient, technology-driven cargo operations with direct access to key markets within Lagos,” he said.
Girei, accompanied by the General Manager (Marine), Mr Horsefall Dakio, and the Lagos Area Manager, Mrs Sarat Braimah, said NIWA’s expansive waterways network positions as a critical enabler of inland cargo movement across West Africa.
He added that the authority’s operational experience, particularly along the Calabar–Cameroon route, provides a solid foundation for scaling similar initiatives across the west coast corridor.
“We are committed to leveraging our infrastructure and expertise to facilitate regional trade.
“Our experience on the Calabar–Cameroon route demonstrates the viability of inland water transport in boosting market access within Nigeria and across West Africa,” he said
