In a bid to resolve all the controversy trailing the propose introduction of International Cargo Tracking Note (ICTN) in the country, the Maritime Association of Nigeria (MARAN) has made public its intention provide a platform for the matter to be addressed.
MARAN said its resolve to provide a platform for the issue to be addressed was based on the need to put the controversies on ICTN to rest once and for all.
To this end, MARAN which remains the umbrella body for journalists covering the maritime sector of the economy said it has concluded plans to organize a roundtable to examine all pertinent issues and controversies surrounding the concept and proffer lasting solutions.
Scheduled to hold at its International Press Center, Apapa, Lagos on February 27, 2025, the roundtable will bring together relevant players in the industry under one roof.
Maritime Bits checks revealed that participants at the roundtable are expected to dissect the subject matter and point the way forward.
The key stakeholders expected at the event include the Head of Research, Sea Empowerment and Research Center (SEREC), Chief Eugene Nweke and the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Widescope Group.
They are scheduled to deliver what it called “insightful perspective” on ICTN at the roundtable.
In the same vein, Dr. Alban Igwe of the Importers Association of Nigeria and a representative of the Shippers Association of Lagos State (SALS) are also expected to attend and speak on the issue.
The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) which is expected to warehouse ICTN will deliver a paper on “Prospect And Challenges of Proposed ICTN: NSC Perspective”, while the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) which hitherto handled the project is to speak on “Prospect and Challenges Of Proposed ICTN, NPA Perspective”.
The President of MARAN, Mr. Godfrey Bivbere who disclosed this in Lagos recently stated that there is an urgent need to put the controversies surrounding the issue to rest once and for all.
According to him, since the news of the planned reintroduction of the ICTN filtered out, there have been widespread controversies from both the protagonists and antagonists of the project with each divide justifying their positions.
Bivbere noted that ICTN has polarized the maritime industry and as the leading maritime beat association in Nigeria and in line with its advocacy role, MARAN has decided to bring all the contending players under one roof to settle this issue once and for all.
He maintained that this was the only way to move the maritime sector of the economy forward and ensure sustainable development of a sector which is very critical to Nigeria’s economy.
