NIWA Apoints Transaction Adviser For Concessioning of Onitsha Port

The federal government through the National Inland Waterways Authority (Niwa) has appointed an Indian firm, Messrs Green Stratus Consulting as Transaction Adviser for the concessioning of the Onitsha river port.
Disclosing this to participants at the stakeholders’ conference, Transport Minister, Senator Idris Umar said that the Transaction Adviser is billed to meet with a Project Delivery team by mid-February to work out the modalities for facilitation of the concessioning process of the Onitsha River port.

The minister, who was represented by the Engr Nebolisa Emordi urged importers and other businessmen in the Eastern axis of the country to begin to tap into the potentials of the port with a view to reducing the cost of transporting their cargoes.

He explained that the initial process employed by Government to concession the port had to be canceled after that the World Bank met with the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) to re-design the process so as to accommodate other River ports across the country.
Explaining further, Emordi disclosed that out of the 19 firms that bid to be Transaction Adviser, only six were shortlisted for the bid and Green Stratus of India won the bid.

Emordi said “In view of t his, the World Bank in consultation with ICRC cancelled the initial process since an agreement has not been signed.

“It then initiated a Traffic Demand Study to determine the viability of the Onitsha River Port, this was concluded in 2012 and the findings showed that the Port is viable . Consequently, the ICRC in conjunction with the World Bank re-designed the PPP process which now includes the other ports under construction at Baro, Lokoja, and Oguta with each taking its turn on the PPP platform as soon as it is completed starting with the commissioned Onitsha port.

“The re-designed process entails appointing a single Transaction Adviser, who will also prepare the Outline Business Case and the Transaction documents for each of the ports at the instance of the World Bank.

“The redesigned single-project option for all the ports has since been endorsed by the World Bank and has become operational with Onitsha River Port as a Pilot Scheme. Advertisement were placed in local and international media for Expression of Interest. “At the close of submission, nineteen Companies responded and were so evaluated, six companies were successful and invited to bid accordingly. The World Bank gave its ‘No objection’, the bids were evaluated and Green Stratus of India won the bid as Transaction Adviser for concession of the Onitsha River Port to be funded by the World Bank”.