Zulum, NPA partner to link Borno’s exports to global market

By Usman Yahaya Ismail and Fredrick Ameh

Borno State Governor, Prof.Babagana Umara Zulum and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) have entered a strategic partnership to integrate Borno State’s local production into the global maritime value chain, aiming to transform the state into a primary export hub for the North-East.

During a meeting at the NPA headquarters in Lagos on Tuesday, Governor Zulum and the NPA Managing Director, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, finalized plans to enhance port-hinterland connectivity, specifically focusing on linking northern indigenous businesses to international trade corridors.

The collaboration is a central pillar of Governor Zulum’s broader economic strategy to transition Borno from a consumption-based economy to a production-oriented one. By strengthening the synergy between the state’s local enterprises and the nation’s maritime gateways, the initiative seeks to lower the cost of doing business for northern exporters.

This is being bolstered by the fast-tracking of the Maiduguri Dry Inland Port and the operationalization of an African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) corridor in Banki, near the Cameroon border.

Dr. Dantsoho emphasized that the project is designed to foster economic inclusion by creating a seamless logistics corridor from the hinterland to global demand clusters.