The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Inland Containers Nigeria Limited (ICNL), operators of the Kaduna Inland Dry Port, have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening operational collaboration aimed at improving hinterland trade connectivity and cargo evacuation across Nigeria.
The Managing Director of the NPA, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, received the executive leadership of ICNL, led by its Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Omotayo Dada, at the NPA Corporate Headquarters in Lagos. The high-level meeting focused on strengthening synergy between the two organisations, resolving key challenges in hinterland logistics, and aligning operations with national trade facilitation objectives.
Dr. Dantsoho stressed the urgent need to upgrade Inland Dry Port (IDP) infrastructure to accommodate rising cargo volumes expected from the ongoing modernisation of Nigeria’s seaports. He underscored the importance of robust public-private partnerships to improve facilities, streamline logistics processes, and enhance the overall ease of doing business.
In a significant operational update, the NPA Managing Director announced plans for a nationwide facility tour where he will lead the management team on an on-site assessment of all inland dry ports in the country.
The exercise is designed to evaluate operational readiness, infrastructure capacity, and service standards to ensure the dry ports can efficiently handle high-volume freight transfers from coastal ports.
Highlighting the Authority’s progress in digital transformation, Dr. Dantsoho noted that the NPA is currently operating at nearly 90 percent automation. He called for full alignment of ICNL’s terminal operations with the NPA’s automation initiatives, including the Eto electronic truck call-up system, Port Community Systems (PCS), and direct integration into the National Single Window (NSW) platform.
End-to-end digital integration, he said, would enable real-time cargo tracking, eliminate documentation bottlenecks, and promote greater operational transparency across maritime and hinterland terminals.
Responding, Mr. Omotayo Dada reaffirmed ICNL’s strategic partnership with the NPA, describing it as a critical pillar of Nigeria’s multimodal transport chain linking coastal ports to northern commercial centres. As a pioneer in terminal management and dry port operations in Nigeria, he highlighted the strategic importance of the Kaduna Inland Dry Port in bringing port services closer to shippers in northern Nigeria and neighbouring landlocked countries such as Niger and Chad.
Both organisations pledged to intensify the deployment of technology, expand intermodal rail evacuation, and strengthen dry port facilities. These joint efforts align with the mandate of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy to improve port efficiency, reduce corridor congestion, and support sustainable national economic growth.
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