3 Firms Now to Share Destination Inspection Contract
Economy
By Francis Ugwoke
The contract for the implementation of Destination Inspection (DI) expected to replace the current pre-shipment inspection regime will now be shared by two other firms and Cotecna which won the job about two years ago.
Cotecna had signed a $70 million contract with the Federal Government to implement the use of scanning machines for inspection in all the ports in the country.
DI which was expected to have taken off about two years ago had been postponed for about three times.
Government had set up a Presidential Committee on Destination Inspection headed by the Transport Minister, Dr Abiye Sekibo, last year, which, according to the Minister of State for Finance, Mrs. Esther Nenadi Usman, has submitted its report to the Federal Government.
But sources close to the Ministry of Finance said that part of the recommendations of Sekibo's committee was that two other firms should join Cotecna in carrying out DI.
Destination Inspection involves inspection of goods on arrival in the country, as against inspection before shipment to Nigeria, a regime which has been heavily criticised by importers because of the attendant delay.
With DI, Clean Report of Inspection (CRI) will now be issued in the country after each inspection, unlike pre-shipment inspection whose report is issued after inspection overseas and which takes some time after the goods have arrived the country before reaching the importers.
The Committee on DI, it was gathered, considered that it was unfair to have singled out Cotecna to carry out destination inspection in all the ports in Nigeria leaving out other inspection agents.
Other inspection agents that may share the contract with Cotecna include SGS International and Swede Control/Intertek.
Our source said that Cotecna while mindful that the principles of the contract be followed, is however, keeping open mind on the suggestion of sharing it as a way forward for DI implementation.
It was gathered that the Company's representatives in Nigeria will be meeting the Presidential Committee soon to discuss further on the way forward for DI.
Cotecna is said to have spent about $40 million in procuring equipment and other logistics.
Already, the firm has two scanners in the Lagos ports, while expecting two more in the next few weeks.
The company had earlier told newsmen that it wanted to be sure of the DI implementation date before bringing in more scanners.
Cotecna has recently been facing bad publicity as a result of reports of the cancellation of some of its contracts in two countries and its role in the Middle East oil inspection.
It is expected that the introduction of scanning machine will eliminate corruption at the ports as physical examination of cargo will be reduced.
Physical examination is said to be prone to corruption as examination officers at the port demand 'settlement' after most assignments.
|
