The Nigerian Ports Authority has announced that it will partner with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council and other relevant partners to link the export processing terminals with domestic export warehouses.
NPA added that the move would facilitate port-hinterland connectivity and create pathways for small and medium-scale enterprises.
The Managing Director of NPA, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, stated this on Sunday at the 2024 Lagos International Trade Fair, titled ‘Connecting businesses, creating value’.
He explained that the agency is pursuing full automation of the port’s processes and procedures through the Ports Community System which lays the groundwork for the implementation of the National Single Window.
The NPA boss reiterated that the move aligns with the ease of doing business orientation of the Federal Government.
“The ETPs would also ensure the facilitation of port-hinterland connectivity and create pathways for Small and Medium-scale Enterprises to play in the value chain, the EPTs are to be linked with DEWs in synergy with the NEPC and relevant partners.
“As some of us are aware in our bid to contribute to the strengthening of the domestic economy through the promotion of balance of trade we established the EPTs to simplify the hitherto burdensome process of exporting Nigerian goods,” Dantsoho said.
According to Dantsoho, the EPTs were conceptualised in partnership with the NEPC to serve as a one-stop-shop for the stuffing, packaging, and certification of export-bound cargo in quick turnaround time, “by eliminating the duplications and bureaucratic overlaps that previously rendered Nigerian exports uncompetitive in the international marketplace.”
He explains that the NSW is the global stratagem for delivering the greatest value with the greatest ease by connecting all stakeholders in the trade value chain for seamless interaction at the push of a button.
Dantsoho, however, stated that the theme of the 2024 trade fair was in tandem with the authority’s corporate aspirations.
“I have said all of these, to show that the theme of the year’s fair is very much in tandem with our corporate aspirations as a business-enabling agency of government,” he said.
He urged that the agency be open for partnerships even beyond this trade fair.
In 2022, the immediate past Managing Director of NPA, Mohammed Bello-Koko, commissioned five ETPs in a bid to eliminate undue delays of Nigerian export products.
