Nigerian Cabotage: Its Policy, Prospects and Challenges
The purpose of this study is to critically examine the Nigerian Cabotage Law and its policy. It will look at what Nigeria stand to benefit by enacting the Law. It is a fact that some countries attempt certain policies in order to experiment, as to whether it will work for them and then they tap into its exploits. Others venture into specific policies because some have successfully experimented and they believe they can do it too. Whatever category Nigeria falls into, the study will attempt to analyze the policy upon which the Nigerian Cabotage law is anchored. It will examine the issue of Ministerial waiver in the event that there are no indigenous capacities to carry out the objectives as spelt out in the Act. It will also examine the various challenges encountered at different stages of implementation. The study contends that what Nigeria stand to gain by Cabotage transcends what she will lose if the law is not given birth to. It concludes that if the implementation guidelines are jealously adhered to and the enforcements are strictly followed, Cabotage has the potentials of becoming a great rivalry to Oil and Gas Industry in Nigeria. Keywords: Nigeria, Cabotage, Maritime, NIMASA, Shipping
An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Cabotage Act 2003 on Nigerian Maritime Administration
The purpose of this study is to critically evaluate the effectiveness of the Cabotage Act 2003 on Nigerian maritime administration. The paper relied solely on data gathered from secondary sources. This study contends that, one, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) institutional incapacity to monitor compliance affects adversely the enforcement of the Cabotage Act 2003 in the Nigerian coastal and inland shipping, and two, the inability of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to bridge capacity gap results to poor compliance with the Cabotage Act 2003 in the Nigerian coastal and inland shipping. Thus, the paper concludes that the character of the Nigerian state has adversely affected the capacity of the NIMASA to monitor and enforce the Cabotage Act 2003 as well as its ability to bridge capacity gap in the maritime industry leading to poor compliance.
Trade in International Maritime Services
Maritime transport costs significantly impede international trade. This article examines why these costs are so high in some countries and quantifies the importance of two explanations: restrictive trade policies and private anticompetitive practices. It finds that both matter, but the latter have a greater impact. Trade liberalization and the breakup of private carrier agreements would lead to an average of one-third lower liner transport prices and to cost savings of up to US$3 billion on goods carried to the United States alone. The policy implications are clear: there is a need not only for further liberalization of government policy but also for strengthened international disciplines on restrictive business practices. The authors propose an approach to developing such disciplines in the current round of services negotiations at the World Trade Organization.