The Nigerian Shippers Council, NSC, yesterday, said its planned signing of a Memorandum of Understand, MoU, with shipping companies operating in Nigeria will reduce cost of doing business in the country by 35 per cent. 

The Executive Secretary of NSC, Hassan Bello, speaking in Abuja at the ongoing West and Central Africa sub-regional workshop and joint standing committee meeting organised by the Union of African Shippers Council, UASC, in conjunction with United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTAD, said the negotiation on the MoU is almost concluded. Abuja community decries bad roads, seek gov’t intervention He also said the focus would be on shipping charges.

Bello blamed the high cost of doing business in Nigeria on lack of processes and procedures as well as lack of transparency. He stated: “The Nigerian Shippers Council is about to sign a very important MoU with the shipping companies which will bring down the cost of doing business in Nigeria by 35 per cent. LADOL, Samsung conflict takes toll on Nigeria’s economy, scuttles hook-up “If we perfect our system, we will have efficiency, we will have competition and it will bring down the cost. The cost of transportation will also reduce. “The cost of transportation is also part of the cost of production and right now the cost of transportation is very high. “The deployment of the Single Window and the Cargo Tracking Note will also bring down the cost of port business,” he added.