In order to cooperate and complete the Benin River Ports project, the Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, and the members of the Benin River Port (BRP) Project Committee have reached an agreement with the Port of Antwerp in Belgium.
The governor and officials of the Port of Antwerp attended a meeting of the Benin River Port (BRP) Project Committee where this information was gathered.
While Mr. Greg Ogbeifun, Chairman of the BRP Project Committee, led his team, Mr. Phillippee Droesbeke, Manager of Ports Project, Port of Antwerp International, led the Port of Antwerp delegations to the meeting with the governor, which is expected to advance the Benin River Ports project.
One of the legacy initiatives by the government of Governor Godwin Obaseki to promote industrial and economic growth in Edo is the Benin River Port. When the port is finished, it will increase export revenues, offer job possibilities, lengthen the economic value chain, and bring new business opportunities to the state.
The cooperation, according to Governor Obaseki, will transform the Benin Port into a container handling port and an industrial complex to support industrial output in Edo.
He stated, “We are pleased to be working with the Port of Antwerp from Belgium to complete the Benin River Port Initiative, a critical project in our pursuit to foster industrialisation and economic growth in Edo State.
The governor also said, “This arrangement will see the Benin Port become both a cargo handling port and an industrial complex which will handle industrial production across various value chains.”
“The project will take advantage of the vast gas reserves in the area which will support industrial production and operation of the port and industrial complex”
Ogbeifun asserted that the state government has continued to make steady progress in its effort to construct the Benin River Port, guaranteeing that the project’s completion will be ensured by the new cooperation with the Port of Antwerp.
He claims that, “The Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) is actively working with the Edo State Government and the Port of Antwerp on the project and will be the regulators of the port on completion.”
Ogbeifun praised the governor for fostering an environment that was favourable to drawing investors into the state and pointed out that the port is well-positioned to profit from the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“The African Continental Free Trade Area,” he continued, “has further boosted the project.”
According to Droesbeke, the Port of Antwerp is excited to collaborate with the Edo State Government on the Benin River Ports project given the project’s significant economic benefits to Nigeria, Belgium, and Edo.
