The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) have inaugurated the Ports and Customs Efficiency Committee (PCEC) to tackle port inefficiencies that cost Nigeria N2.5 billion in daily losses.
Speaking yesterday at the inaugural PCEC’s meeting held at the NPA, headquarters in Marina, Lagos, the Director-General, of PEBEC, Zahrah Mustapha Audu, said a multi-stakeholder committee is a move by the Federal Government to overhaul a port system that costs the country an estimated a total of over N912.5 billion yearly in delays, inefficiencies, and bottlenecks.
Audu said improving efficiencies at the nation’s seaports would reduce cargo dwell time, vessel turnaround and customer turnover.
According to her, the committee was launched to change the narrative of missed opportunities in the maritime sector and unlock potential opportunities, and enhance Nigeria’s economy.
“By improving efficiencies in our ports, we can drastically reduce the average cargo dwell time and turnover time for customers, eliminate duplication of documentation and manual processes, and ensure customer satisfaction,” she stated.
She said this committee is a call to action for terminal operators to improve infrastructure and for shipping companies to increase efficiency and to reduce delays, as well as for freight forwarders to uphold compliance, and for regulators to reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks.
The newly formed committee brings together key players from the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), terminal operators, freight forwarders, shipping lines, logistics providers, manufacturers, exporters, and policymakers.
Audu said the committee’s mandate includes identifying systemic inefficiencies, implementing practical reforms and improving Nigeria’s standing as a competitive trade hub, particularly under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
She also added that the PCEC’s work will be grounded in four core objectives, which include eliminating delays in cargo movement and customs processing, streamlining port procedures and enhancing inter-agency coordination, driving transparency, accountability, and predictability and delivering measurable outcomes in cargo dwell time and user experience.
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, highlighted sweeping reforms centred on infrastructure renewal, modern equipment acquisition, technology deployment and human capacity development.
Dantsoho said the NPA’s ambition to compete with regional counterparts such as Ghana, Togo and Benin Republic hinges on addressing longstanding challenges in Nigeria’s port system.
He said central to the NPA’s strategic plan is the rehabilitation of critical infrastructure at Apapa and Tin Can Island port facilities, constructed nearly 100 and 48 years ago, respectively.
Dantsoho lamented that these ports had seen little to no refurbishment over the decades, resulting in shallow channels of about 12 metres and outdated quay structures.
According to him, the Federal Government has now approved full-scale modernisation works on both ports, to allow them to accommodate larger vessels and compete effectively with deeper West African ports like Ghana’s Tema.
On the technological front, the NPA MD disclosed that the agency is working closely with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to deploy the Port Community System (PCS), which he described as the backbone of the National Single Window.
He stressed that PCS will eliminate paperwork and reduce human interface, thereby improving transparency, reducing cost, and boosting efficiency and revenue generation.
According to Dantsoho, the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has pledged full support for equipment upgrades, which will not only boost marine services for the Dangote Refinery but also support offshore oil and gas logistics.
The Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adeniyi, called for a comprehensive overhaul of the country’s port operations to address longstanding inefficiencies that continue to undermine trade competitiveness, revenue generation and foreign investment.
