Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, has assured the people of Kano state the federal government was committed to ensuring the Kano Dry Port is completed.

A statement by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Abba Anwar, said the Minister, represented by the Director Maritime Services of the Ministry, Auwalu Dauda Sulaiman, spoke when the Governor of Kano, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, visited the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) in Apapa, Lagos.

“The bold step taken by Kano State, under Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje on the Dry Port project, is very commendable as it cannot come at a better time than now.

“The federal government will support Kano State to achieve this noble objective that will effectively resuscitate the Kano state economy and foster development of the country,” Amaechi said.

Ganduje commended and appreciated the Nigerian Shippers Council for its initiative in promoting the establishment of Inland Dry Ports to make shipping services available to those in the hinterlands.

“It is a known fact that logistics are a live-wire for economic pursuits. When goods are produced at any location, their values can only be realised when they get delivered to the ultimate users.

“The Inland Port would facilitate efficient handling of both import and export cargoes. So, we provided 200 hectares of land free of encumbrances required for the integrated projects that is the Inland Dry Port and the Special Economic Zone.

“We constructed a dual carriage road to the project site, provided power and water to the site, with other essential support, to promote it for marketing.

“We appreciate the importance of the Inland Dry Port to the economy of Kano and neighbouring Republic of Niger, Chad, Northern Cameroon and the rest of Sahel Africa up to Mauritania,” Ganduje said as reported by The Nation.