THE IMPORTANCE OF SHIPPING TO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF NIGERIA

THE IMPORTANCE OF SHIPPING TO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF NIGERIA

ABSTRACT
The study investigates the impact of Ocean shipment trade on Nigeria’s economic development, covering the period, 1976-2006. Ocean shipment trade in thousands of tones served as the independent variable in all the three hypothesis defined while, the gross domestic product Nigerian value of external reserve served as the dependent variable.
The three hypotheses were actually tested for the following conclusions to be reached:
1) Shipment export trade has actually exerted a positive effect on the economy as a whole.
2) Shipment Export Trade exerts a significant positive effect on the level external reserve in Nigeria.
3) Akin to the two revelations above, the Shipmen Export Trade exerts a significant effect on the level of Nigeria’s external debt payment, especially for the period under investigation, 1976-2006.
The findings of this study therefore, bring to the limelight the need for the following recommendations:
With the perceived weak institutional setting, there is therefore the need to improve the institutional setting in order to boost external trade contribution to the economic as a whole. Even though Shipment Export has been found to contribute positively to the economy generally, whether in terms of contribution to gross domestic product, external reserve or external debt payment, one is tempted to say that more contributions would have been recorded with strong institutional setting.
Similarly, the poor transparency and corruption that appear to be endemic in our country call for concerted effort to make for an improved performance.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND

Shipping has for a long time been recognized as one of the strong catalysts for socio-economic development. Back in 1776, Adams Smith noted that ’’A business working in a country town without links to the outside world can never achieve high levels of efficiency because its small market will limit the degree of specialization”. Because distances, it has since the ancient times been at the fore front of opening up of the world and thus a major driver in of the process of globalization. Shipping, especially container shipping has been both a cause and effect of globalization. Container shipping could lay claim to being the world’s first truly global industry. In fact container shipping could claim to be the industry which, more than any other, makes it possible for truly global economy to work, it connects countries, markets, business and people, allowing them to buy and sell on a scale not previously possible. It is now impossible to imagine world’s trade, and ultimately our lives as consumers, without container shipping. Shipping has led to a phenomenal growth in world merchandise trade, which has consistently grown faster than output. In 2006, goods loaded at ports worldwide are estimated at 7.42billion tonnes, up from 5.98 billion tonnes 2000. The value of total world export increased from US$6,454 billion in 2002 to US$40,393 billion in 2005 representing an increase of 64 per cent.

1.2 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEMS
The maritime industry is international in nature and is acknowledged to be a very dynamic component in the socio-economic configuration of any given maritime nation. Nigeria is no exception. Even land-locked countries such as Mali and Burkina –Faso in West Africa also hinge, their economic fortunes on the maritime sector relying as it were on the port on Abidjan for import and export transactions. One major problem that has continued to plague the industry in Nigeria is the issue of adequate policy formulation and implementation, hence the contribution of shipping trade to economic growth has therefore being a subject of debate.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SHIPPING TO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF NIGERIA