The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) on Thursday launched the Ports and Customs Efficiency Committee (PCEC), an initiative aimed at enhancing efficiency and improving the ease of doing business at the nation’s ports.
Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the PCEC in Lagos, the Director-General of PEBEC, Princess Zahrah Mustapha, stated that improving efficiencies at the country’s seaports would reduce cargo dwell time, vessel turnaround time, and overall customer turnover.
According to the PEBEC DG, the committee was launched to change the narrative of missed opportunities in the maritime sector while unlocking potential and enhancing 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 said.
“This is not just another reform—it is about resilience, unlocking potential opportunities, and enhancing Nigeria’s economy. This committee is not solely made up of government representatives; it also includes private sector stakeholders.”
“It is a call to action for terminal operators to improve infrastructure, for shipping companies to increase efficiency and reduce delays, for freight forwarders to uphold compliance, and for regulators to remove bureaucratic bottlenecks. It is a call for shared ownership of our common challenges and a commitment to delivering collective solutions,” she stated.
Speaking on missed opportunities, Princess Audu said the PCEC was established not only to identify problems but also to begin implementing long-overdue solutions.
“Nigeria loses a great deal every single day due to inefficiencies. These are not just numbers; they represent missed opportunities—jobs not created, goods not delivered, investments not realised, and economic growth unnecessarily delayed,” she said.
“The Ports and Customs Efficiency Committee has been established to change this narrative, to go beyond identifying problems we are already aware of, and to begin implementing solutions that all stakeholders agree are long overdue.”
“At PEBEC, our mandate has been clear: to remove bureaucratic bottlenecks that hinder business operations at Nigerian seaports. Since 2016, we have driven over 200 reforms across various sectors, collaborating with ministries, departments, agencies, and the private sector. Since I came on board, I have taken this effort even further.”
“So, beyond passing or helping enact reforms and policies, it is time for us to focus on implementation and the practical impact of these reforms. This is why this committee is so important to us.”
“The Ports and Customs Efficiency Committee is not an observer group—it is an action-oriented, high-impact entity tasked with driving sustainable improvements in service delivery at Nigerian ports. Working in close collaboration with agencies such as the Nigerian Ports Authority, the Nigeria Customs Service, and other government bodies within the ports, alongside technical operators, shipping companies, freight hauliers, logistics providers, exporters, manufacturers, and policymakers—this reform ecosystem accommodates all stakeholders,” Princess Audu stated.
Speaking earlier, the Managing Director of the NPA, Abubakar Dantsoho, stated that the Authority is currently addressing four major pillars essential to repositioning Nigeria’s seaports and enhancing their competitiveness against regional counterparts.
According to the NPA boss, investment in infrastructure, equipment, technology, and human capacity would boost competitiveness and operational efficiency at the nation’s seaports.
Dantsoho noted that port infrastructure, particularly at Apapa and Tin Can Island Ports, is aged and in urgent need of rehabilitation.
“Tin Can was constructed about 48 years ago, and Apapa almost 100 years ago—yet no major rehabilitation has taken place in all these years,” he said.
He added that recent government approval for the reconstruction of both ports would significantly improve berth depth and cargo handling capacity.
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 emphasised that PCS will eliminate paperwork and reduce human interface, thereby enhancing transparency, cutting costs, and improving efficiency and revenue generation.
In terms of human capital development, Dantsoho said the NPA is intensifying efforts to upgrade the skills of pilots and technical personnel to meet modern navigational and operational demands.
He concluded by stressing the importance of inter-agency collaboration across all operational areas.
“The NPA cannot do it alone. Efficiency must be improved across all segments if we are to truly optimise revenue and compete globally,” he added.
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