Belgium expresses interest on prospects in Nigerian ports

Indication has emerged that investors from Belgium have expressed interest in the National Maritime Transport Policy being developed by Nigeria.

According to a statement issued and sighted by Gentechnews, the executive officers of the Port of Antwerp International, a Belgium port, disclosed this in Lagos during a meeting with Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Dr Bashir Jamoh.

Jamoh in a statement titled, ‘FDI: Belgian investors watching Nigeria’s maritime transport policy closely’ explained the huge opportunities for investment in wreck removal and recycling, adding that the Federal Government was planning a coordinated wreck removal policy to drive investment in the area.

The visiting team of executives from the Port of Antwerp International had sought for audience with the NIMASA boss to follow up on their investment interests in Nigeria.

The Managing Director of APEC-Antwerp/Flanders Port Training Centre and Port of Antwerp International, Mr Kristof Waterschoot, and Director at Port of Antwerp International, Mr Mario Lievens, disclosed that they were also in Nigeria to promote new partnership opportunities, especially in the area of training.

Waterschoot and Lievens, who hosted Jamoh at the Nigerian Belgian Chamber of Commerce, Onikan, Lagos, said their mission was to discuss projects of interest, including inland ports, and to strengthen the relationship between the Port of Antwerp and NIMASA, particularly in the areas of training, technical support, and cooperation.

The duo, according to the statement said Nigeria’s proposed National Maritime Transport Policy was being watched as it unfolded to see how Belgium could come in with investments.

Waterschoot expressed his confidence in Nigeria, noting that the business climate in Nigeria could be difficult, but there was hardly any country without its peculiar difficulties.

Jamoh applauded the long-standing diplomatic and economic relationship between Nigeria and Belgium.

He affirmed the Federal Government’s abiding interest in diversifying the economy, adding that the development of maritime infrastructure is part of the government’s economic diversification drive.