The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and the Bangladesh government have expressed commitment to explore bilateral cooperation on inland water transportation.
The commitment was made during a courtesy visit by the High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Nigeria, Miah Mohammad Mainul Kabir, to NIWA management at its Liaison Office in Abuja on Thursday.
This was contained in a statement by NIWA’s acting General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Tracy Kara, made available to newsmen in Lokoja, Kogi State.
Receiving the delegation, Acting Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NIWA, Umar Girei, described the visit as an important opportunity to strengthen institutional relations between both countries, noting their similarities as riverine nations with enormous inland waterways potential.
Girei noted that Bangladesh has approximately 24,000 kilometres of waterways, which account for over 25 per cent of its passenger transportation and facilitate movement of millions of tonnes of cargo.
Nigeria, on the other hand, has an estimated 10,000 kilometres of inland waterways, with the River Niger and River Benue serving as major waterways providing navigable access to about 28 of the country’s 36 states.
He said Bangladesh’s experience offers valuable lessons for Nigeria as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to unlock the economic potential of the inland waterways sector.
He identified possible areas of cooperation to include technical and knowledge exchange in dredging and channel maintenance for year-round navigability, as well as development and management of river ports, jetties and passenger ferry systems.
Responding, the Bangladesh High Commissioner said both countries have significant opportunities to benefit from mutually rewarding partnerships in inland water transportation.
According to the statement, Kabir identified dredging, boat construction, marine equipment manufacturing and capacity building through training and retraining as critical areas where Bangladesh could share its experience and technical expertise with Nigeria.
Both parties expressed optimism that the visit would translate into concrete cooperation and sustainable institutional partnerships to advance inland water transportation and economic development in both countries.