Ibom Deep Seaport Will Transform Akwa Ibom Into a Transhipment City, Says Udom Emmanuel
- The Ibom Deep Seaport will be a reality soon as the promoters say they are putting final touches on all arrangements
- Governor Udom Emmanuel has said the new seaport will transform the Akwa Ibom state economy
- The Akwa Ibom state government has also partnered with the Korean Maritime and Ocean University over the project
PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed!
Uyo - Akwa Ibom governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel has assured Akwa Ibomites that the Ibom Deep Seaport project when operational will transform the state into a transhipment city that will provide thousands of direct jobs to citizens.
The governor made the comment through the state's commissioner for economic development and Ibom Deep Seaport, Mr Akan Okon.
Source: Twitter
He said Busan Port Authority, BPA, operators of the world's second-largest and busiest port in South Korea, has agreed to provide the technical support towards the construction of Ibom Deep Seaport.
The commissioner also added that the Korean Maritime and Ocean University have also agreed to partner the Akwa Ibom state government in manpower development so as to train the pool of manpower that will be needed for the Ibom Deep Seaport project.
PAY ATTENTION: Join Legit.ng Telegram channel! Never miss important updates!
Mr. Akan was briefing newsmen at the Victor Attah International Airport shortly after his arrival from an official visit to South Korea on Friday, December 3.
He noted with delight that the Akwa Ibom government's presentation on Ibom Deep Seaport and Ibom Industrial City to the management of BPA has yielded positive results.
According to him, the partnership with the BPA team was in keeping with Governor Emmanuel's vision of tapping from their wealth of experience in port construction and management.
His words:
“This project is going to be a game-changer for Akwa Ibom state economy. That is why His Excellency, Governor Udom Emmanuel approved us to be part of the maritime sector and harbour development programme in Singapore.
“This trip gave us an opportunity to interact with people in the maritime sector especially Busan Port. Busan Port is the second-largest and busiest port in the world. It is a transshipment port with a 17 meters depth which is similar to what we have in Ibom Deep Seaport.
“This trip also gave us the opportunity to interact with the Korean Maritime and Ocean University with a view to developing manpower for our citizens so that we would be able to take advantage of the opportunities that would be created in the maritime sector as a result of this project.
“We are looking at areas like maritime logistics and other businesses that are associated with the shipping industry.”
The commissioner noted that the Akwa Ibom state delegation during the visit made a presentation and the investors are interested because of what they have found out from the potentials of the Ibom Deep Seaport project.
He added:
“We also had the opportunity to meet with the Korean Cooperation for Overseas Port Development. We are looking at having a partnership with them so that they can also assist in the development of our Deep Seaport.
“Basan Port is developing three ports presently in the Netherlands, Indonesia, and Spain so we met with them so that they can key into Ibom Deep Seaport and they are quite interested".
“The collaboration between the Akwa Ibom State Government and Basan Port Authority which is the main investor is moving ahead and by next week we are going to kickstart the geophysical and geotechnical studies.
“Once Ibom Deep Seaport becomes operational, it will change the life of the Akwa Ibom people for good.”
Ibom Deep Seaport: Akwa Ibom government set up joint committee
Recall that a Joint Project Implementation Committee was set up recently by both the Nigeria Port Authority (NPA) and the Akwa Ibom state government.
In April, Governor Emmanuel approved the setting up of the committee to ensure the smooth take-off of the multi-billion dollar project.
Mrs. Usoro had also assured the government and the NPA that all steps towards the actualization of the project was on track.
FG gives final approval on Ibom Deep Seaport
Legit.ng had earlier reported that the Akwa Ibom state government recently secured the final approval for the commencement of the project.
The approval of the project was endorsed by the Federal Executive Council on Wednesday, December 16, 2020.
It signalled the completion of a series of approvals for the prime A¹ project which has outlasted two previous administrations.
Source: Legit.ng
