The Nigerian Shippers’ Council has called on the Abia Government to support the revival of the Isiala Ngwa Inland Dry Port (IDP) and boost trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The executive secretary of the Council, Dr Akutah Ukeyima, made the call on Wednesday during a visit to Gov. Alex Otti of Abia in Nvosi, Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area.
Ukeyima said that the initiative would facilitate the positioning of Abia as a trade hub under the AfCFTA.
He commended the present administration’s commitment to repositioning Abia as a centre of industrial excellence through strategic infrastructure investment.
Ukeyima also applauded the Federal Government’s reform agenda and the maritime sector transformation both aimed at driving trade and development.
He explained that the port, gazetted in 2006 and concessioned to Eastgate Container Terminal, had stalled at 10 per cent completion due to infrastructure and funding challenges.
The Shippers’ Council boss stressed that with the governor’s support and renewed concessionaire commitment, the port could unlock major logistics and trade potential for Abia and neighbouring states.
He said that the port would provide global market access to Aba’s thriving SMEs, generate thousands of jobs in logistics and warehousing, and significantly raise the state’s internally generated revenue.
Ukeyima described the project as aligning with AfCFTA’s vision of a single African market, offering opportunities for local producers to access over 1.4 billion consumers and a $3.4 trillion GDP bloc.
He noted that the IDP could serve as a logistics hub for regional trade and transit goods to landlocked nations like Chad and Niger, thereby boosting Nigeria’s non-oil exports and trade balance.
According to him, operationalising the port would promote exports of agro-products, leather, textiles, and manufactured goods from Aba and across the Southeast.
He added that it would attract investment in freight forwarding, storage, agro-processing, and bonded warehousing, spurring inclusive growth and job creation across Abia.
Ukeyima also called for the state government’s intervention in three key areas: provision of infrastructure, engagement with stakeholders to meet obligations, and creation of a state-level implementation committee.
He reaffirmed the Council’s readiness to offer full regulatory and technical backing to ensure successful project delivery in collaboration with Abia Government and private partners.
Ukeyima expressed confidence that under Otti’s leadership, the Isiala Ngwa IDP could become a continental gateway, anchoring Nigeria’s subnational integration into AfCFTA trade flows.
Responding, Gov. Otti urged the federal government to tackle key infrastructure gaps delaying the Isiala Ngwa IDP, which was conceived almost 20 years ago.
Otti described the prolonged delay as a significant economic setback and proof that something was fundamentally wrong with the project’s execution.
“Isiala Ngwa IDP was well-positioned from the start, but for it to remain on the drawing board for 19 years means something is seriously wrong,” he said.
He highlighted the lack of reliable rail transport as a significant issue, stressing that efficient goods movement from seaports to dry ports depends largely on affordable rail systems.
“Transportation is the key problem; without rail, inland ports will struggle as rail remains the cheapest method for moving goods inland,” he noted.
Otti acknowledged federal rail investments like the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri line, which had raised concerns in some quarters about Abia getting narrow gauge instead of the preferred standard gauge available in other regions.
“The difference in gauge affects speed—standard is 150km/h, narrow 100km/h, but for goods, speed matters less.
“The real challenge is proper implementation,” he explained.
The governor pledged readiness to collaborate with federal authorities to discuss concrete solutions that would fast-track the project’s commencement.
“I’m willing to be part of the solution and I want the port to start immediately, but we must ensure that once built, it attracts usage and doesn’t waste resources,” he added.
He noted that importers still preferred Lagos ports in spite of having nearer options like Port Harcourt and Calabar, stressing the need to understand economic behaviours.
“Unless we understand why importers act the way they do, we’ll fail in fixing the problem and without clarity, any solution risks being misdirected,” he said.
Otti also said that if action was not taken now, another decade could pass without results, as the dry port’s initial concession would expire without ever becoming functional.
“In 10 years, the concession ends. We’ve already lost 19 years. Now’s the time to ask tough questions and find practical answers,” he said.
He urged stakeholders to prioritise solving transport bottlenecks before anything else, stressing the need for honesty if the project proves unworkable.
“We must move from planning to execution and if it won’t work, we should be honest enough to say so,” Otti said.
The Isiala Ngwa IDP was among seven dry ports licensed nearly 20 years ago to ease seaport congestion and stimulate inland trade but remains uncompleted due to logistics issues. NAN
