Nigeria’s first Domestic Export Warehouse (DEW) is set to commence operations at the Kaduna Inland Dry Port (KIDP) to promote export of locally made goods and agricultural produce.
This was disclosed at a press briefing by the Port General Manager, Rotimi Raimi-Hassan, in Lagos.
Raimi-Hassan said the facility is ready to be launched while listing support infrastructure already put in place for seamless and efficient operation.
He said KIDP is set for commissioning to pilot the DEW services as the most equipped facility in Nigeria with a modern laboratory to check quality of exports that would be processed through the dry port.
He added that about 10 trucks are ready for deployment and that KIDP has efficiently utilised the Export Expansion Facility Grant from the Federal Government under the office of the Vice President to achieve hitch free logistics.
A cold room with capacity for 50 tonnes of cargo has been put in place, Raimi-Hassan said it will serve as storage and durability assurance for perishable goods.
It will serve as a reefer container to keep export cargoes preserved at the required temperature to meet market demands.
The 4,000 square metres warehouse set aside is intended for aggregation, consolidation and complete packaging of all types of export within the KIDP facility.
He commended the Federal Government, Kaduna State Government, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and other government agencies for their support towards the success of the DEW project.
Aside from job creation, the port’s ability to compute reliable data for trade will greatly boost Nigeria’s participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement.