NPCC PUSHES FOR SEAMLESS PORTS, FASTER TRADE PROCESSES

The Nigerian Ports Consultative Council (NPCC) has intensified its push for seamless, transparent and predictable port operations, calling for deeper digitalisation, stronger inter-agency coordination and streamlined trade processes to improve Nigeria’s competitiveness in regional and international trade.

At its quarterly meeting held at the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos, on September 17, 2026, stakeholders examined measures to simplify cross-border trade, reduce operational bottlenecks and improve the ease of doing business at Nigerian ports.

The meeting, themed “Simplifying Cross-Border Trade and Enhancing Ease of Doing Business at Our Ports,” brought together government agencies and maritime industry stakeholders to examine challenges affecting cargo movement, trade facilitation and port efficiency.

Coordinating the Port Ecosystem

Chairman of the NPCC, Mr Bolaji Sunmola, said Nigeria’s ambition to position its ports as a hub for West and Central Africa would remain difficult to achieve without addressing infrastructure and operational bottlenecks.

He said the Council provides a platform for stakeholders to bring operational challenges directly to relevant government agencies and develop practical solutions.

Sunmola called for open engagement among agencies, urging them to explain their activities, identify persistent challenges and present solutions.The approach places coordinated problem-solving at the centre of the Council’s efforts to improve port efficiency.

Digitalisation and System Integration

Vice Chairman of the NPCC, Mrs Jean Chiazor Anishere, SAN, called for deeper digitalisation and automation to reduce duplication, improve transparency and strengthen compliance.

She identified an integrated Port Community System, inter-agency data sharing, electronic documentation and risk-based inspections as important measures for improving cargo movement.

Anishere stressed that cross-border trade requires coordination among government agencies, port operators, shipping lines, terminal operators, freight forwarders, customs brokers, financial institutions and traders.

She also noted that fragmented or unnecessarily prolonged processes increase costs for businesses and the trading public.

The objective is therefore not simply to digitise individual processes, but to improve how information and regulatory procedures connect across the wider port ecosystem.

The seven-day clearance target

Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dayo Mobereola, said efficient, transparent and predictable port operations were central to Nigeria’s maritime economy and its competitiveness under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Mobereola, represented at the meeting by the Director of Shipping Development, Mr Abdullahi Salihu, said delays increase costs, weaken confidence and undermine the competitiveness of Nigerian businesses across African markets.

He said market size and geographical position alone would not guarantee cargo throughput without reliable, transparent and efficient trade corridors.

According to him, the National Single Window, launched on March 27, 2026, is designed to unify import and export documentation, reduce duplication and support a reduction in cargo clearance time from 21 days to seven days.

He cautioned, however, that technology alone would not deliver the target.

Accurate data, clear service standards and disciplined cooperation among agencies operating within the port and border environment would also be required.

 

The seven-day objective therefore depends on how effectively digital systems connect with regulatory processes and operational procedures.

MEMS and Regulatory Visibility

NIMASA has also deployed its Maritime Electronic Management System (MEMS), a separate regulatory digital system designed to improve visibility across maritime operations.

The Agency says MEMS provides digital traceability of vessel movements, operational records and regulatory interactions, while automated alerts, smart invoicing and centralised data integration are intended to support faster regulatory decisions.

The system also provides digital tracking for services such as waste reception, including time-stamped records and billing trails, while supporting monitoring of marine pollution incidents.

The significance of MEMS within the wider port efficiency conversation is its potential to improve regulatory visibility and reduce dependence on fragmented manual processes.

Its effectiveness, however, will depend on how well it interfaces with the broader trade and port operating environment.

Ports and National Competitiveness

Anishere said Nigerian ports must be viewed not merely as cargo gateways but as critical instruments of national economic development.

She highlighted their impact on goods prices, business competitiveness, investor attraction and the performance of Nigeria’s international trade.

Her remarks place port efficiency within a wider economic context, where the cost and predictability of moving cargo directly affect businesses and the competitiveness of Nigerian trade.

She also identified efficient dispute resolution mechanisms, particularly maritime and commercial arbitration, as important to investor confidence and participation in international trade.

The Council, she said, would continue engaging stakeholders and ensure that its recommendations are brought before the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.

Trade Facilitation and Export Competitiveness

The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) also identified the simplification of cross-border trade and improvements in the ease of doing business at ports as important to diversifying non-oil exports and supporting entrepreneurs.

The Managing Director of NEPC, Mrs. Nonye Ayeni, represented by Assistant Director Mrs Ronke Olaiye, said the Council would continue to amplify exporters’ concerns in efforts to improve trade facilitation.

The position reinforces the connection between efficient port operations, export competitiveness and Nigeria’s wider economic diversification objectives.

PrimeAxis Insight

Nigeria’s port efficiency challenge is increasingly a question of system integration, coordination and execution.

The NPCC’s push for seamless port operations reflects a recognition that trade competitiveness depends on how effectively the institutions and processes governing cargo movement work together.

An integrated Port Community System, electronic documentation and inter-agency data sharing could reduce duplication and improve the movement of information across the trade ecosystem.

The National Single Window provides a framework for integrating trade documentation, while NIMASA’s MEMS provides greater digital visibility across maritime regulatory activities.

These are different systems addressing different parts of the operating environment. Their broader value will depend on how effectively they work alongside the other institutions and processes involved in cargo movement.

The seven-day cargo clearance target provides a measurable benchmark for assessing progress. But achieving it will require more than technology.

It will require agencies to operate with clearer service standards, reliable data, coordinated procedures and greater predictability for traders.

For Nigeria’s ambition to strengthen its position in regional and international trade, port efficiency must therefore be measured across the entire trade journey rather than within individual institutions.

The real test of a seamless port is whether cargo moves with fewer delays, greater certainty and lower avoidable costs.

That is where the impact of the NPCC’s coordination efforts, the National Single Window and NIMASA’s digital reforms will ultimately be measured.

The question now is whether these initiatives can translate into a trade environment where efficiency is not simply a policy objective, but a consistent operational reality.