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“We could not, in this situation, given the damage we have incurred, we could not return to this port which has harmed us. »Thus spoke this Thursday, January 11, 2024, Chaïbou Tchiombiano, general secretary of the union of importers and exporters of Niger. Questioned by the BBC during a program entitled “At the heart of the news”, he clearly indicated that the non-return of Nigerien importers to the port of Cotonou is not only motivated by the closure of the border between the two country. Speaking to BBC Africa, he indicated that the cost of transport between Cotonou and Niamey, which was 35,000 F, is today 105,000 Fcfa. “It is the abnormal practices taking place in the port that are our problems,” he said. For him, between Lomé and Niamey, Nigerien traders pay 65,000 F, a difference of 50,000 F with Cotonou. “Our mistake as economic operators is that we put our eggs in one basket and the basket fell,” he said. If we had been able to diversify the ports, we would not be in this situation. » On December 27, the port of Cotonou announced the resumption of the importation of goods intended for Niger. Christophe Van den Branden, Commercial Director of the Autonomous Port of Cotonou, explains the decision to suspend imports destined for Niger in October due to port congestion, due to the accumulation of unprocessed goods following ECOWAS sanctions. “Because there were ECOWAS sanctions, the goods could not leave the autonomous port to go to Niger. As a result, at that time, in the month of October, we saw an accumulation of goods inside the port, and we risked being completely congested with goods inside the port,” explains -he. “We saw that the goods inside the port, we were able to evacuate them. They changed destination. They were removed from the port. Suddenly, we see that there is space inside the port. So we see that there are no longer any reasons to say that the goods can no longer come. » Recall that following the press release from the port of Cotonou, the Niger Chamber of Commerce and Industry asked importers and exporters to continue to pass through the port of Lomé.
Olivier ALLOCHEME
2024-01-12 00:04:36
#Nigeriens #ready #return #Port #Cotonou
