What are the Governments’ challenges in implementing Port Reform?
The following issues pose serious challenges to the expedient reform and management of the port sector: • Cabotage bill that precludes foreign participation in the management of the ports- such laws need to be reviewed or repealed to enhance effective liberalization of operations within the port sector. • Bureaucratic inspection procedures of the officials of the various agencies at the ports, which make Nigerian port unattractive to shippers. • The fears of the organized labour unions within the sector have to be properly addressed regarding redundancy issues, pension liabilities that might arise out of the restructuring of the ports sector. • Revision of NPA enabling law to ensure the authority is adequately empowered to regulate all operators within the sector. • Resolving the issue of cross-subsidization of smaller deficit ports by commercially more successful ones. • Resolving the problems inherent in the administration of transition.
