NIGERIA APPROVES CONSTRUCTION OF BAKASSI DEEP SEAPORT

The Federal Government of Nigeria
has approved the construction of Bakassi Deep Seaport which is currently
ongoing. Cross River State Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade said that the approval has
paved way to launch the port on a commercial scale.

“We have got the official
approval for the Bakassi Deep Sea Port Outline Business Case which means that
the Nigerian government has now officially recognised the Bakassi Deep Sea Port
and has given us the impetus to go for the full business case,” said Prof. Ben
Ayade.

The Bakassi Deep Seaport is to become the second
trade port in Nigeria, after the Apapa port and would be the maritime gateway
for the country’s landlocked northeast. This is because the rest of the ports
are oil terminals.

The project development is supported by the interim
transaction advisors, The Infrastructure Bank, and China Harbour. The
project entails an evacuation corridor and a six-lane highway linking the port
with the north. The proposed six-lane highway spans 162 miles across the length
of the geographical space of the state from Bakassi in the South up to Northern
part of the state which borders with Benue state in the North Central Nigeria.

The 20-metre-deep harbour will cost approximately
US $800m, and will be built via a public-private partnership (PPP). Upon
completion, the Bakassi port will reduce congestion faced in Lagos ports and
the Onne West Africa Container Terminal in Rivers State. It will also aid in
transportation of farm produce from the north to other parts of the country.

“The outline business case proposed a 20-metre-deep harbour for transnational shipping, making it “the deepest seaport in Africa,” said Governor Ayade.https://constructionreviewonline.com/2019/10/nigeria-approves-construction-of-bakassi-deep-seaport/