Jama Onwubuariri

TTP was created to solve a very specific problem: the disorder around truck movement in and out of the Apapa and Tin Can Ports, with expansion into other ports across Nigeria. Before Ètò, truck access was largely driven by physical queues, multiple layers of human intervention, and limited visibility, creating congestion, delays, inefficiencies, and opportunities for abuse. 

Ètò introduced a digital mechanism for scheduling and controlling truck movement, but we quickly realised that the underlying problem was bigger than truck access. A truck does not operate in isolation; it is part of a chain connecting cargo owners, terminals, ports, transporters, regulators, roads and ultimately the final destination.

That is what led to our broader vision. We began to see the opportunity to build the digital infrastructure that connects these moving parts. Today, our focus is intelligent mobility infrastructure using technology, data and physical infrastructure to make the movement of people, vehicles and cargo more predictable and efficient.

Ètò has fundamentally changed the way truck access is scheduled and managed. We have processed millions of truck movements through the platform, while helping reduce truck turnaround times from weeks to days and significantly improving visibility and predictability around port access. 

But technology cannot solve every problem in a logistics ecosystem. Ètò can provide a controlled digital process; it cannot, on its own, eliminate poor road conditions, terminal delays, human interference, non-compliance, or inefficiencies elsewhere in the supply chain.

Some of the challenges we continue to see, including operational challenges, are reminders that digitisation must go beyond putting an existing process online. It must remove unnecessary human intervention, strengthen identity and access controls, create traceability and connect systems across stakeholders.

Our biggest lesson is that technology is an enabler, not a substitute for systemic reform. Sustainable efficiency requires technology, infrastructure, regulation, enforcement, and stakeholder collaboration to move together.

Yes. Ètò was the starting point, not the destination.

We are progressively building capabilities around electronic tagging (Etag), electronic access control, traffic management, smart parking, SaaS solutions, terminal visibility and integration with other digital systems across the logistics chain.

The long-term opportunity is an intelligent freight ecosystem where the movement of a truck and its cargo can be planned, verified, monitored, and optimised across the entire journey, not just at the port gate.

Imagine a system where a vehicle’s digital identity via E-tag/RFID, booking, cargo documentation, terminal appointment, route, access permissions and arrival are digitally connected. That creates a single flow of information across stakeholders and enables better decisions using real-time data. 

That is the direction we are pursuing: moving from truck scheduling to intelligent mobility infrastructure that supports the broader freight economy.

One of Nigeria’s biggest logistics challenges is that we often optimise individual parts of the chain rather than the journey as a whole.

A terminal can improve its internal processes, but if trucks spend hours waiting outside, encounter poorly coordinated corridors or face delays at their next point of call, the overall supply chain remains inefficient.

We need to think in terms of end-to-end cargo journeys. Government should provide the policy, infrastructure and regulatory environment; ports and terminals should optimise cargo handling and appointments; transport operators should embrace standards and technology; cargo owners should improve planning; and technology providers should connect the data and processes that sit between these stakeholders.

The goal should not simply be a more efficient port. It should be a predictable freight corridor from origin to destination.

Absolutely. Nigeria has the scale, market and strategic position to play a major role in building Africa’s digital logistics infrastructure.

But cross-border logistics cannot work efficiently if every country operates completely independent digital systems that cannot communicate with one another. The future requires connected systems between ports, customs systems, border agencies, transport platforms, cargo owners and logistics operators.

Ètò provides an example of how technology can bring structure, visibility and accountability to a complex freight environment. The next opportunity is to apply those principles across borders.

For West Africa in particular, we should be thinking about common digital standards for vehicle and cargo identification, electronic documentation, data exchange, payments and corridor management.

AfCFTA will create opportunities for more intra-African trade, but trade agreements alone do not move cargo. We also need the digital and physical infrastructure that allows goods to move across borders predictably and efficiently.

The economic cost of inefficiency is enormous. Every hour a truck spends waiting results in fuel consumption, lost driver time, underutilised vehicle capacity, and additional costs passed through the supply chain.

The environmental impact follows the same pattern. Reducing unnecessary idling, empty trips, and repeated journeys reduces fuel consumption and emissions.

This is where technology can make a measurable difference. Better scheduling reduces waiting.

Vehicle and cargo visibility improves planning. 

Digital access control reduces unnecessary movements and human intervention. Traffic management systems can optimise the use of available road and terminal capacity.

We should therefore stop looking at logistics technology simply as an administrative tool. It is an economic and environmental efficiency tool.

If we can make freight movement more predictable, we can lower logistics costs, improve asset utilisation, reduce emissions and make Nigerian trade more competitive.

By 2035, I would like to see a freight system in which cargo movement is largely planned, connected, visible, and data-driven.

A truck should not arrive at a port, border or transit facility simply to join a queue and wait. Its journey should be planned digitally, with its identity, cargo, documentation, appointments and access permissions validated before it arrives.

Ports, customs, border agencies, transport operators, cargo owners and logistics infrastructure should operate as connected components of one freight ecosystem, rather than isolated systems.

Truck transit parks will also play an important role as intelligent staging and consolidation points, helping manage demand before vehicles reach constrained areas.

For Nigeria to get there, we need to start now by investing in connected digital infrastructure, reliable physical infrastructure, common data standards, and stronger public-private partnerships.

Our ambition should be bigger than making Nigerian ports more efficient. We should be building Nigeria into a predictable, technology-enabled gateway for African trade.

One area I believe deserves greater attention is the distinction between digitising a process and actually transforming mobility.

At TTP, we are deliberately moving beyond the idea that our business is simply a truck call-up platform. Our focus is now intelligent mobility infrastructure, combining software, data, connectivity and physical infrastructure to solve mobility challenges at scale.

That includes electronic access control, vehicle identification, traffic management, smart parking, and digital platforms that can connect different participants in the logistics ecosystem.

The bigger opportunity is to create infrastructure that allows governments and businesses to understand how vehicles and cargo move, anticipate pressure points, and make better decisions before congestion becomes a crisis.

That is where we believe the next phase of Nigeria’s logistics transformation lies.

Another issue that deserves more attention is the role of the private sector in solving infrastructure and logistics challenges.

The scale of Nigeria’s mobility and logistics challenges means government cannot and should not be expected to do everything alone.

At the same time, private sector technology cannot deliver sustainable transformation without the right regulatory framework and institutional collaboration.

Our experience has shown that the strongest outcomes are achieved when government provides clear policy and oversight, while private operators bring technology, capital, operational expertise and speed of execution.

We believe this model can extend beyond ports into transit hubs, freight corridors, borders and other critical mobility infrastructure.

If we get that partnership right, Nigeria can move from reacting to congestion to intelligently planning and managing mobility at scale.