The Gulf of Guinea, GoG, has said that shipping transportation within the African Continent is still a major militating against economic development.
Speaking at ongoing Lagos Maritime Week, LMW conference organized by ZOE Maritime Resources in Lagos, former Secretary General of GoG, Ambassador Adenike Ukonga said that maritime transportation in Nigeria and within the West African sub-region is under developed adding that in maritime transportation in Nigeria and in the West and Central Africa is still at its and is grossly under developed.
Ukonga said: “Majority of the ships providing maritime transportation services in West and Central Africa region are from Europe, Asia and the Far East.
“It is a cause of great concern to maritime industry watchers that maritime transportation with so much potential for economic emancipation and the development of the coastal countries and their is virtually in the hands of non-Africans and solidly in their control.
“Goods cannot move from one country to the other along the coast of West and Central Africa without first passing through Europe to be trans shipped to Africa. Whereas, if the maritime transportation is well developed, even if it is within the region, there should be ships plying these routes stopping in almost all the ports of the region with shorter period of transportation of goods from one country to another and not exceeding 2-5 sailing days en route.
“Right now, goods sent by Ship from Luanda to Lagos takes about 3-4 months minimum.
“I will like to encourage our entrepreneurs to really invest in maritime transportation either for goods transportation or for people transportation especially in inter-state maritime transportation. Our African countries are seriously missing in this sector.”
Source : Vanguard