The impending comprehensive ports reforms will affect about 75 per cent workforce or 9,000 workers in the Nigerian ports.
The Managing Director/CEO, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman, gave the indication yesterday at the on-going International Association of Ports and Habour (IAPH) hosted by the NPA in Abuja.
She spoke on the topic: Port Governance Models Our – Experience.
She said the reforms will lead to increase in the efficiency in Nigeria’s port operations, decrease cost of port services to stakeholders, decrease cost to the government for the support of viable port sector and attract private sector participation so as to free public resources for public services.
She said the reform challenges would include; “downsizing port workers by 75% (about 9,000 redundancies), dismantling casual dock labour system and pay-off of 13,000 dockworkers, financing severance packages (about US$400 million) and programme of re-orientation and attitudinal changes.”
The NPA MD also spoke on plans ahead which include a strategic decision on NPA as a landlord in the ports, government to lay attractive conditions for direct foreign investment, the need for review of port concession, a 25 year port master plan and massive investment in the upgrade of port infrastructure.
Hadiza said the reforms have opened new vistas of opportunities for both the public and private sector in the Nigerian ports.
