Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry has lauded the Bureau of Public Enterprises on the call for private sector involvement in the maritime sector.
The Director-General, Muda Yusuf, stated this in a chat with Financial Street on Saturday.
In a webinar hosted by the Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Commerce to discuss alternative financing model for Nigeria’s maritime sector, the Director-General of BPE, Alex Okoh, had said that private sector involvement in the sector would boost government’s revenue.
The webinar was sponsored by SIFAX Group.
Reacting to this, Yusuf said there’s need to attract private investors within and outside the country.
His words, “We need to attract private partners and expertise both from within and outside the country to boost investment in the maritime sector. Already, we have had a bit of that. We saw the opportunities created by the concessioning of the ports.”
Lauding the initiative by SIFAX, he noted that “the government alone cannot do everything.”
According to the LCCI boss, the government needs the resources of the private sector in a lot of things, including maritime.
“It is a very good development. That is the best way to go, because the government cannot do everything. Government needs the resources of the private sector in a whole lot of things, including maritime. Government also needs the expertise of the private sector to improve performance in maritime and many other sectors,” he said.
However, he reiterated the need for increase in private sector involvement in the financing of critical infrastructure in the maritime sector.
The move, Yusuf added, will enable the industry to become a major revenue-earner for the Federal Government.
