The Relevance of a Hub Center Port to the Economic Growth of ECOWAS Subregion. Apapa as a Case Study.
CHAPTER ONE
Objective of the study
The objectives of the study are;
- To find whether Apapa port is a hub center port to the growth of ECOWAS
- To examine ways of integrating the national multi-modal links into the port system.
- To find out the requirement to hub center port in ECOWAS
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
CONCEPT OF A HUB PORT
The use of ports as hubs is not a new concept; it has been in practice since nations started engaging in trade. However, the advancement of containerisation has led to an increase in its scope and sophistication in recent times. The introduction of bigger ships, together with the grouping of shipping lines into much bigger operating partnerships has led to liner shipping relying increasingly on a network of strategically located hubs and connecting feeder services. This involves the transfer of containers from one shipping service to another with the objective of enabling through shipment of containers between two ports that are served directly by either one of the services. Direct ports of call by vessels have been reduced as ship owners are always looking for higher levels of productivity from their vessels. As a result, liner shipping has resorted to the use of hub ports to reap some advantages of economies of scale in order to render quality services to their customers. Most hub ports act as load centres and therefore handle far more cargo than their base or destination traffic.
Types of hub ports
There are three broad classes of hubs:
Local feeder hubs
These connect main lines with local feeder services, e.g. Hamburg for Scandinavia. A peculiar characteristic of such ports is that they have a large locally based cargo of their own and are very close to feeder ports. However, the feeder ports may be unsuitable for direct main call due to either their location or lower cargo volumes.
Regional feeder hub
These connect main line services with regional feeder services and are normally on a main shipping route, often at the edge of the region in which they serve. Examples of such hubs are the Singapore for the Far East Region and Algeciras for Maersk line’s West and Central Africa services.
Pure logistics hubs.
Logistics hubs connect main line services with each other. They are usually strategically located at the intercession of major shipping routes and may handle very little local cargo. They allow different regions to be connected, typically an east-west service with a north to south service. Thus, one main line service will be the feeder for another main line service. Examples of such ports are Colombo connecting Arabian Gulf/Far east services with Far East/Europe services and Algeciras connecting Maersk line services. It is important to note that a given hub may fulfil more than one of the above functions. The concept of hub and spoke system has become a new trend in liner shipping not only because shippers/shipowners are always trying to find the best form of service at competitive prices to the satisfaction of the customer but also they gain some economic advantages. The next section will discuss the benefits that shipowners get from using such a concept in their operation
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research is the process of arriving at a dependable solution to problems through planned and systematic collection, analyzing and interpretation of data (Osuala, 1993).
Green and Full (1975) defines research methodology as the specification of procedures for collecting and analyzing the data necessary to solve the problem at hand such that the differences between the cost of obtaining various levels of accuracy and the expected value of the information associated with each level of accuracy is optimized.
Thus, in this chapter the method and techniques of data collection and analysis for this study are discussed in details, research design, population of study, sample and sampling technique, sources of data collection, research instrument, validity of the instrument, reliability of the instrument, procedure for administration of research instrument, as well as the limitation of the research methodology. This will be important in order to assess performance appraisal and staff motivation in the financial sector.
Research Design
The research design adopted in this research work is the survey research design which involves the usage of self-designed questionnaire in the collection of data. Under the survey research design, primary data of this study will be collected from Apapa port in order to determine the the relevance of a hub center port to the economic growth ECOWAS subregion. The design was chosen because it enables the researcher to collect data without manipulation of any variables of interest in the study. The design also provides opportunity for equal chance of participation in the study for respondents.
Population of Study
The population of study is the census of all items or a subject that possess the characteristics or that have the knowledge of the phenomenon that is being studied (Asiaka, 1991). It also means the aggregate people from which the sample is to be drawn.
Population is sometimes referred to as the universe. The population of this research study will be the entire staff of Seventy-five (75)
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
This chapter is about the analysis and presentation of data collected from the field through questionnaire. The analysis of the data with particular question immediately followed by the presentation of findings.
As mentioned in chapter three, 50 questionnaires were administered and 50 were retrieved and necessary analysis was carried out on them.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was on the relevance of a Hub Center port to the economic growth of ECOWAS subregion. Apapa as a case study. In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges of Hub Center port to the economic growth of ECOWAS subregion
Summary
This study was on The relevance of a Hub Center port to the economic growth of ECOWAS subregion. Apapa as a case study.. Three objectives were raised which included: To find whether Apapa port is a hub center port to the growth of ECOWAS, to examine ways of integrating the national multi-modal links into the port system and to find out the requirement to hub center port in ECOWAS. In line with these objectives, three research questions and hypotheses were formulated and answered. The total population for the study is 75 staff of Apapa port in Lagos. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study.
Conclusion
The concept of hub ports has developed out of the technological advancement and shippers’ demands in liner shipping. In order to reap the benefit of economies of scale, shipowners assess the capability of a port to handle the needed cargo and vessels. The study analyze the development of containerized maritime transport in ECOWAS in order to assess whether the region is ready for the development of the hub and spoke system.
Recommendation
It is considered in this study that perhaps the focus of the project should change from the mere attainment of hub status to a transformation of the port into a third generation port. Fulfilling the requirements to be considered a third generation port naturally implies having the qualities that will attract transhipment traffic.
Infrastructure development is important in improving port quality, but it is by no means the most important. Perhaps the most important is institutional – the human factor. Manning the maritime industry with the qualified personnel will pave the way for a lot of improvements.
It is obvious that divestment of government interest from the port operation is vital in order to lead to a practical autonomy for the port.
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