…targets 25% reduction in operations cost
The Federal Government is making a move to halt ₦2.5 trillion annual revenue loss through the implementation of a National Single Window (NSW) in the port.
It was revealed that NSW will also reduce the cost of doing business by at least 25 per cent in the seaports.
The World Bank had already said that the cost of doing business at Nigerian ports could be up to 40 per cent higher when compared with other West African countries due to delays and administrative bottlenecks, leading to an estimated annual revenue loss of ₦2.5 trillion within the business community.
At a stakeholders’ forum on the establishment of the NSW in Lagos, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adeboyega Oyetola said that the implementation of the single window could enhance efficiency, potentially reducing the costs of doing business in the industry.
He said: “By streamlining operations, improving transparency, and minimising delays, the system not only drives cost savings but also strengthens overall trade facilitation. The cumulative impact across all areas, including reduced costs, enhanced efficiency, and greater transparency, ultimately contributes to the overall ease of doing business.”
However, Oyetola added that the Federal Government was prioritising multimodal connectivity to boost trade and reduce transportation costs, saying that the present administration was advancing multimodal connectivity by improving road, rail, and inland waterway links to and from the ports.
Also, the Managing Director, of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, said that the implementation of NSW interconnects all stakeholders involved in foreign trade and enables them to perform trade procedures on one platform, adding that it provides a comprehensive online environment for all governmental and business users such as importers, exporters, commercial banks, carriers, Customs, ministries and other government agencies to perform trade operations.
He said the Single Window operation was the global trade best practice for the electronic exchange of information relating to over 500 million Twenty Equivalent Units (TEUs) movements and billions of tonnes of cargo for sea, air, and land transport modes.
He said: “This concrete move by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to implement the NSW in Nigeria is pivotal to deepening the competitiveness of our Ports and position the good people of Nigeria to reap greater benefits from global trade.
“The purpose of the Port Community System (PCS) is primarily for Nigeria to comply with the dictates of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL) whose main objectives are to prevent unnecessary delays in maritime traffic, to aid cooperation between governments, and to secure the highest practicable degree of uniformity in formalities and other procedures.”
Dantsoho said that in recognition of the importance of this noble objective, the NPA had ahead of time enlisted the technical guidance of the IMO for the deployment of the Port Community System (PCS), which is the precursor to the NSW.
According to him, “Only recently upon our fulfilment of the requirements, Nigeria was admitted as a member of the International Port Community System Association (IPCSA) to join top-class ports in the region, like Tangier Med Port of Morocco, Ghana, Togo, Ivory Coast, Benin Republic among others.
“Furthermore, the Nigerian Ports Authority recognized the importance of Single Window and has planned and implemented its strategy and provided leadership within the Nigerian Ports Community.
“The Authority has taken a very proactive approach to embracing ICT technologies in implementing a number of its internal activities. This is due to the belief that cargo operations in our Ports cannot meet International Standards without the Port Community System.
“The National Single Window is a central piece in the modernization of our trade facilitation, and the Nigerian Ports Authority, under the supervision of His Excellency, Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola CON, Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, is fully committed to its successful implementation.”
The NPA boss added that It is worthy of note that while repositioning Nigerian Ports to maintain regional and continental competitiveness, the Authority has embarked on process reengineering aimed at aligning the Authority’s functions with the objectives of the NSW and ensure parity with regional competitors, focusing on seamless data availability and enhanced transparency.
