IMAN raises alarm as 20-foot container clearance hits N15m in Nigeria

The Importers Association of Nigeria, IMAN, has raised concerns implicit the escalating outgo of cargo clearance astatine Nigerian ports, disclosing that clearing a 20-foot instrumentality astatine Apapa Port successful Lagos present costs betwixt N14 cardinal and N15 million, compared to astir N7 cardinal to N8 cardinal successful Cotonou, Benin Republic.

The relation described the wide outgo disparity arsenic 1 of the large reasons galore Nigerian importers are diverting their cargoes to neighbouring West African countries specified arsenic Benin Republic, Ghana, and Togo, wherever larboard charges are little and operations are considered much efficient.

Speaking successful an interrogation with Vanguard successful Apapa, Lagos, the South West Chairman of IMAN, Joseph Ajoku, criticised the caller summation successful tariffs by shipping companies and terminal operators, informing that the improvement could worsen inflation, summation the prices of goods, and further strain import businesses successful the country.

Ajoku noted that portion it costs betwixt N13 cardinal and N14 cardinal to wide a 40-foot instrumentality successful Benin Republic, the aforesaid instrumentality presently attracts betwixt N19 cardinal and N20 cardinal astatine Nigerian ports.

According to IMAN, the precocious outgo of operations astatine Nigerian ports continues to undermine the country’s competitiveness wrong the West African sub-region.

“Our findings uncover that smaller West African countries specified arsenic Ghana, Togo, Benin Republic and ...