Kaduna Inland Dry Port Revisited: A Look At The Activities Of Nigeria's First Dry Port

Ever since the Kaduna Dry Port has been commissioned for use since May 2019, very little has been heard of this port. In May, it was reported that the minister of transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, the Kaduna State gov., Mallam Nasir El-Rufai among other dignitaries from the Nigerian Shippers Council were on ground for the official take-off of this port.

According to the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi says the Kaduna Dry Port will greatly provide the needed stimulus for massive economic growth in Kaduna state and the country at large.

The minister explained that the dry port was also to address the problems of inadequate access to seaports, remove frequent congestion which resulted in the loss of cargo in transit, carnage and accident on the land mode.

He added that the inland ports “not only reduce transport costs but also bring shipping to the doorsteps of shippers.”

Ever since the kick-off of this place, our findings reveal that little activities are taking place in this port as people are still bent on using the Lagos port which is already congested at the moment. In August, the Nigeria Shipper Council boss has to appeal to shippers to patronize the Kaduna Inland Dry Port and not leave it to lay fallow, this is because the port has suffered low patronage from shippers across the country except for agro products shippers.

For the records, a dry port is everything a port has excluding the sea. But what it really means is importers & exporters in the catchment area(in this case Northen Nigeria) can do all their goods clearing and processing right there at the Port in Kaduna. This saves the hassles of travelling to Lagos and thereby causing pains and traffic to the people.

Kaduna Inland Dry Port Limited was commissioned by the Federal Government of Nigeria in 2017 to operate as a port of origin and destination. The company provides port-related services to the northern shippers and positioned to receive import consignment direct from various ports of loading abroad and serve as a platform to forward export goods from the port of origin (KIDP) to various destinations abroad
AutoReportNG decided to do a review of how this port actually looks like, ever since the place was commissioned and the groundbreaking ceremony inaugurated, Nigerians don't know what this place looks like, the interior, the amenities in place and so many other questions.

Kaduna Dry Port Officially Commissioned, Comes Alive For Use - Photos

Just like a dream, the Kaduna Dry Port finally comes alive today. The ceremony which was witnessed by the Kaduna State Gov., Mallam Nasir ElRufai, The Executive Secretary/CEO Nigerian Shippers’ Council and many stakeholders in the shipping business.

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi says the Kaduna Dry Port will greatly provide the needed stimulus for massive economic growth in Kaduna state and the country at large.

The minister stated this on Tuesday in Kaduna at a ceremony to mark the commencement of cargo delivery by rail to the inland dry port.

The minister was represented at the event by the Director Service of the Ministry, Sani Galadanci.

He noted that the progressive effort of the present administration in rail rehabilitation and construction was aimed at ensuring effective intermodal transport connectivity nationwide.

According to him, the dry ports are transport infrastructure projects promoted by the ministry and Nigeria Shippers Council as part of the solutions to problems faced by hinterland shippers.

The minister explained that the dry port was also to address the problems of inadequate access to seaports, remove frequent congestion which resulted in the loss of cargo on transit, carnage and accident on the land mode.

He added that the inland ports “not only reduce transport costs but also bring shipping to the doorsteps of shippers.”

“It will also stimulate economic growth and prosperity,” he said and called for collaboration among all stakeholders to ensure success.

Many may want to as, what's the difference between Kaduna Dry Port and the normal one at Lagos, the difference is the Kaduna Dry Port does not have the presence of the sea, unlike Lagos that is closer to the sea.

In essence, A Dry Port is basically everything a SeaPort is, minus the Sea. But what it really means is importers & exporters in the catchment area(in this case N/Nigeria) can do all their goods clearing and processing right there at the Port in Kaduna. This saves the hassles of traveling to Lagos and thereby causing pains and traffic to the people.

The Kaduna Dry Port is the brainchild of the federal government aim at decongesting the Lagos Seaport that has become a sort of embarrassment to the nation and the people of Lagos State.

These are images AutoReportNG got from the commissioning in Kaduna.

Cargo Delivery By Rail To Kaduna Dry Port Starts Tuesday

The Federal Government has concluded plans to introduce cargo delivery by rail to the Kaduna Inland Dry Port.

Mr Tahir Idris, Director, Special Duties, Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) said in a statement on Sunday, in Abuja, that the inauguration was scheduled to hold on May 7, at the facility’s premises in Kakuri, Kaduna State.

Idris said in the statement that Mr Hassan Bello, the Executive Secretary of NSC, had disclosed that connecting the railway to the dry port “is a watershed to the facility”.

Bello said that the Council would also hold an interactive session with all relevant stakeholders immediately after the event themed: “Optimising the Kaduna dry port as key to Nigeria economic diversification”.

He said the rail facility would lead to the full optimization of the Kaduna inland dry port, adding that it would also drive down significantly the cost of transporting containers from Lagos to Kaduna

“So much cargo is coming to Kaduna, but on trucks. It takes so much money to transport goods by trucks from Lagos to Kaduna, If it is by rail, the cost will drop by over 60 percent,” he said.

He also said transporting containers by railway would eliminate the risks of diversion, goods tampering and also reduce the risks of accidents by more than 95 percent, thus driving down the cost of insuring cargo to Kaduna as a point of entry.

Bello noted that with a reduced cost of transporting the goods, the cost of goods will reduce which will further curb inflation.

According to him, hundreds of trucks will be taken off the roads thus leading to longer roads life span and fewer accidents due to activities of truck drivers.

He added that this should also reduce significantly the traffic gridlock on Apapa road in Lagos.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Gov. Nasir El-Rufai and Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi will inaugurate the service.