Gov Ganduje woos investors, unveils Dala Inland Dry Port Summit Logo
BY BENEDICT NWACHUKWU, ABUJA
Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has called on investors to explore the windows opened by the TEU Dala Inland Dry Port to invest in the continent’s largest export project.
Governor Ganduje made the call on Monday while unveiling the Summit Logo in Abuja as he noted that the Summit is bringing together all natives of Kano, both those at home and those in diaspora; friends and lovers of Kano; and business men and women from all over the world.
He said the summit is poised to dwell on a strong economic enabler, a transport and logistics vehicle, the 20,000 TEU Dala Inland Dry Port.
“Kano has been adjudged as the center of commerce of Sahel Region of Africa. We had in the past relied on transportation of large volumes of cargo on the backs of camels, animals that have the capacity of carrying the largest volume of cargo and that travel very long distances with the cargo and have great endurance of hunger and thirst.
“They were made by God for the desert transport and were the major source of Transport for the Trans Saharan Trade. Kano served as the major national gateway for imports and exports in the country beating Lagos and the rest coastal states. Kano was at some time the largest contributor to the National GDP. Virtually all exports out of the country were none oil products.
“We realized that the Kano Exporters which includes exporters from our neighbouring states and neighbouring countries notably, Niger and Chad Republics and the Northern Cameroon suffer untold hardship and losses in the process of receiving their imports or forwarding their exports. The hardship coupled with the exorbitant transport costs have pushed so many very committed businesses men out of business. It is sad to note and to agree with the statement by one of the eminent sons of Kano, Alhaji Abdussamad Isyaku Rabiu, when he said, “it is cheaper to transport a container form China to Lagos than to transport the same container from Lagos to Kano,” he said.
Gov. Ganduje recalled that the project is important to the state in view of its significance towards growing the Kano Economy and not only creating jobs for all natives and residents, but, improving the socio-economic wellbeing of the entire citizenry.
He argued that with colonization the seaports in the southern states came into the show and took significant part of the shine off Kano adding that Network of rail lines were laid to link the seaports to source of export products like cotton and groundnuts in the North.
“With the advent of the blue gold, crude oil and the lack of commitment by the Governments at all levels to support export of none oil products, the crude oil became the major export commodity. The roads were abandoned, the rail lines were abandoned and there was no deliberate commitment to the export trade.
“We in Kano realized the humongous opportunities being presented by the efforts of the Government of President Muhammad Buhari and resolved to take appropriate steps to fully key-into them. That is the singular reason why, we moved in to actualize the 20,000 TEU Dala Inland Dry Port Project which had been in the pipeline for twenty years before our coming into office,” he said.
He maintained that Kano is not a center of commerce by accident. “It has been home to great traders and industrialists and today has given Nigeria two great enviable sons, Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Alhaji Abdussamad Isyaku Rabiu. Kano is today the most populous and yet most peaceful state, it is home of the most hospitable people. It has great economic potentials. It accounts for at least 70% of none oil exports in the Country.”
The occasion was graced by important dignitaries including the Speaker Kano State house of Assembly, minister of Trade and investment, Representatives of Dangote group, Bua group Dantata group.
Chairperson of the Nigerian Diaspora Commission Abike Dabiri Erewa urged the governor and people of Kano to make provisions both for Nigerians resident in the country and in Diaspora to acquire lands in the ancient city of groundnut pyramid to invest.
The Summit is scheduled to start from May 24.
