… 5,000 direct jobs and over 10,000 indirect jobs
… Rail line linking the port to start running by year end
The Kaduna Dry Port, when fully operational, will generate about 5,000 direct jobs and over 10,000 indirect jobs, the Executive Secretary, Nigeria Shippers Council Mr. Hassan Bello has said.
Mr. Bello, who led the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi and Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and other stakeholders to an inspection tour of the facility that near completion in Kaduna yesterday said, employment generation is a key consideration of the project.
He told Daily Trust at the sidelines of the inspection that the Nigeria Shippers Council, the regulator of the facility will ensure the ports operator, the Inland Containers Nigeria Limited (ICNL), adhere to the employment projected numbers.
“We are talking of 5,000 direct employments and maybe up to 10,000 indirect employments. The employment content of this project is critical to the government and the Nigeria Shippers Council being the regulator of this project will ensure appropriate number of people are employed” he said.
“This is a 5,000 TEUs but there is room for expansion as more people use these ports, more containers will come in and we will expand” he said adding that the NSC is anticipating increased exports and imports thus when that occurs, the facility will expand to meet demands.
Commenting after the inspection, Amaechi said the government will provide the enabling environment for the terminal operators to thrive.
“The rail line will soon start running before the end of the year. We hope to hand over some of the narrow gauge to the GE. What is delaying it is the cabinet. Once we get the approval, GE will bring in about 20 locomotives that will run from Lagos to Kano and that will pass through Kaduna” he said.
Governor El-rufai said, “we inherited this project from the previous administration and we thought it was a worthwhile project worthy of support and we did everything we could to make sure it works. We tried to do whatever we could to ensure that the infrastructure that is required to make this a reality is done.”
