Shippers’ Council calls for establishment of liaison desks at Nigerian embassies

The Executive Secretary/CEO, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Dr. Pius Akutah has highlighted the need for better treatment of Nigerian shippers in foreign countries particularly in China where significant trade occurs.

He, therefore, called for establishment of liaison desks in Nigerian embassies to support shippers and address constraints faced while operating abroad.

Dr. Pius Akutah highlighted this when he paid a visit to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, on last week in Abuja.

He said the visit was aimed at fostering collaboration and deepen institutional partnerships between the Council and the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Speaking further, Akutah said the Council is looking at an improved trade intelligence that will help the Council, “because it is a data generating agency that will want to see how with trade intelligence, it can be able to navigate dispute resolution between shippers around the world through diplomatic channels.”

He said the Council wants to partner with countries that have mature Blue Economy so as to benefit from Blue Economy Diplomacy.

He also sought the Minister’s support for emergence of Nigerians into key representative positions in most of the critical international institutes like the International Maritime Organization (IMO), United Nation’s Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and World Customs Organization (WCO).

Speaking, the Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Tuggar urged the Council to do more collaborations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to achieve the stated objectives.