Strong indication that review of the long-elapsed port concessions would begin sooner than later emerged Monday at the Headquarters of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in Lagos as the Authority received the report on Port Concession Assessment Framework (PCAF) from the officials of the World Bank.
Industry analysts are upbeat that the receipt of the critical document will not only guide the process of port concession review, but improve transparency and clarity in the evaluation of the concession agreement.
Business Hilights recalls that between the 17th and 19th of September in 2018, the NPA hosted the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) Africa Regional Conference in Abuja.
During the IAPH Conference, Managing Director of NPA, Hadiza Bala-Usman revealed that the Authority is in the process of reviewing the NPA port concession framework together with the World Bank as technical partner.
She averred that “What we have discovered is that there is no clarity on sanctions for anyone of the partners violating their contractual obligations. No clarity as to what form of penalty. These aspects are part of the topics under review.”
MTBS has been selected by the World Bank as Consultant for this assignment to develop a mechanism for proper assessment of the NPA port concessions.
The three-day IAPH Conference brought together port authorities, terminal operators, and corridor management organisations to study the linkage between African ports and their hinterlands, some of which rely on neighbouring countries for seaborne access to develop and grow their economies. The main topics discussed during IAPH 2018 comprised:
Additional findings showed that key contents of the received report included but not limited to issues concerning Connectivity and Port Hinterlands – components and modal options; Funding Options for Hinterland Connectivity – hard and soft infrastructure; Africa’s Ports Landscape – infrastructure, governance models, and land-locked transit corridors; and, Sustainability and Facilitation of the Logistics and Transport Supply Chain.
