The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) at the weekend unveiled a comprehensive strategy to boost Nigeria’s non-oil exports, anchored in infrastructure renewal, export process simplification, and the full automation of port operations.
A statement issued by the Authority on Sunday quoted the Managing Director, Abubakar Dantsoho, as making this disclosure while speaking at the 37th Enugu International Trade Fair, recently held in Enugu State.
According to him, the NPA is repositioning the nation’s port system to connect local producers, especially small and medium-scale enterprises, to global markets.
Dantsoho stressed that the strategic positioning of Enugu as the gateway to the South-Eastern hinterland presented huge opportunities for the expansion of export opportunities, which is the focal point of the Authority.
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The industry expert commended the Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (ECCIMA) for sustaining the trade fair as a platform for enterprise development and international trade engagement, saying that as part of efforts to drive cargo traffic and improve capacity, the NPA is investing in the rehabilitation of key eastern ports, including Onne, Warri, and Calabar, while also supporting the development of new deep seaports across the region.
He expatiated: “In addition to our renewed investment in the Eastern Ports infrastructure renewal, we are providing bespoke technical guidance to proponents of deep seaports in a bid to drive vessel and cargo traffic to the Eastern flank on a sustainable frequency.”
He stressed that trade remains one of the most effective tools for achieving Nigeria’s economic aspirations, adding that the NPA is committed to removing longstanding bottlenecks that have hindered export competitiveness.
According to him, central to the reform agenda is the establishment of Export Process Terminals, designed to simplify and streamline export procedures for Nigerian goods.
Dantsoho clarified: “As some of us are aware, we established the EPTs to simplify the hitherto burdensome process of exporting Nigerian goods.
“The EPTs were conceptualised to serve as a one-stop shop for cargo consolidation, stuffing, documentation, packaging, certification, and onward shipment, thus eliminating the duplications and bureaucratic overlaps that previously rendered Nigerian exports uncompetitive”, he added.
He explained that to further enhance efficiency and align with the Federal Government’s ease-of-doing-business agenda, the NPA was committed to full automation of its processes through the implementation of the National Single Window (NSW) system.
The NPA boss said that to achieve this, the Authority’s management had been eliminating human interface, which encourages underhand dealings, by pursuing the full automation of its processes, with the implementation of the NSW, describing it as a globally recognised system that enables seamless interaction among all stakeholders in the trade value chain.
He said: “For the avoidance of doubt, the NSW is the global best practice connecting all stakeholders in the trade value chain for seamless interaction at the push of a button.”
Dantsoho further disclosed that the EPTs would be linked with Domestic Export Warehouses in collaboration with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and other partners to strengthen port-hinterland connectivity and open up export opportunities for businesses across the country.
He assured industry stakeholders, particularly investors and exporters, of the NPA’s readiness to collaborate and charged them to take advantage of NPA’s platforms and services.
He said: “Our doors are always open for partnerships. We have put measures in place to link value creators in the remotest part of the hinterland with the farthest clusters of demand anywhere on the globe.”
