Frequently Asked Questions

National inland Waterways Authority(NIWA) is a parastatal of the federal government of Nigeria under the supervision of the federal ministry of Transport. It is in charge of inland waterways branch of water transport. The Authority is also in charge of planning, monitoring, regulating and advising the FGN on all inland waterways activities nationwide.

NIWA was established in 1997 as a parastatal from the erstwhile (old marine) Inland Waterways Department (IWD) of the federal ministry of transport which itself was established in 1956.

  • Regulation of all inland waterways activities.
  • Planning of all inland waterways activities.
  • Management of all inland waterways activities.

Moving by means of excavation or suction equipment of sand or rock particles from underwater (sea, river, lake, etc) to another location.

Dredging to effect a major change in shape and size in the river bed and navigable channel, normally a once-off operation.

The Niger River is the longest river passing through Nigeria, and also the longest river in West Africa. It is the third longest river on the African continent, after the Nile and Congo rivers. It extends through 2,597 miles surging through four other countries.