The Calabar Free Trade Zone, the first of these, was fully completed by 1999 and started operation after official commissioning in November 2001.
[1] Lack of dredging in the Calabar River channel was also affecting the zone, forcing companies to rely on Port Harcourt or Lagos for import and export of goods.
[2] These problems had not been addressed by December 2010, when the General Manager of the zone said the epileptic power supply, poor quality roads and non dredging of the river channel had slowed development of the port.
Governor Liyel Imoke appealed to the Federal Government to take a stake in the project, and to remove uncertainty about Tinapa's status, which is hindering investment.
He said that the government planned an extensive review of Free Trade Zones across the country to ensure they met the requirements to attract Foreign Direct Investment and to create jobs.