The proposed Ibadan Inland Dry Port in Olorisa-Oko, Oyo State, Nigeria is moving closer to construction according to the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC).
The council mentioned that the talks between the Federal Government of the West African country and China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC), the preferred bidder, on the implementation of the over US$ 111M project is nearing completion.
Mrs. Rakiya Zubairu, NSC Head of Public Relations, said that at the end of the negotiations an updated Full Business Case Compliance report’’ will be produced.
“After that, a draft agreement will be presented to the Federal Ministry of Justice and sent to the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, (ICRC) for vetting, after which the Minister of Transportation will present the agreement to the Federal Executive Council,” explained Zubairu adding that, “the concessionaire would then be taken to the site for sod-turning and immediate commencement of the construction of the port which is expected to be complete within a period of 12 months.”
The Ibadan Inland Dry Port Project overview
The 80,000 TEU capacity Ibadan Inland dry port which is aimed at addressing congestion and gridlocks in Apapa ports, will be implemented on a Design, Build, Finance, Operate, Maintain and Transfer model under a Public-Private Partnership arrangement.
It will be designated as a port of destination where cargo would be consolidated for import and export, especially in the South-Western part of Nigeria. The Lagos-Kano standard gauge railway which is currently under construction is aligned to the proposed dry port, making it easy to convey cargo from the seaports in Lagos and to all destinations along the route.
The NSC Head of Public Relations said that among other uses, the dry port will also provide a competitive cargo sorting center, bulk breaking as well as cargo-tracking and truck management services.
Extract from constructionreviewonline.com