The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Abubakar Dantsoho, has reiterated the Authority’s commitment to accelerating Nigeria’s non-oil export growth through streamlined port operations, enhanced digitalisation, and stronger linkages between the ports and the hinterland.
Speaking at the NPA Special Day during the ongoing Kano International Trade Fair, Dantsoho commended the Kano Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KACCIMA) for sustaining the fair’s reputation as a global business hub and a platform that continues to attract local and international investors.
Describing Kano as a pivotal commercial centre connecting Nigeria to its northern hinterland and neighbouring landlocked nations, the NPA boss noted that the city’s vast agro-allied potential aligns perfectly with the Authority’s drive to link local producers to international markets—particularly within the rapidly expanding non-oil export value chain.
Dantsoho outlined several reforms being implemented by the NPA to enhance export competitiveness, chief among them the establishment of Export Processing Terminals (EPTs). The terminals, he explained, serve as one-stop hubs for the consolidation, documentation, packaging, certification and onward movement of export goods to the ports.
Developed in collaboration with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and other relevant partners, the EPTs are aimed at eliminating bottlenecks and reducing bureaucratic duplication that previously hampered the smooth movement of export-bound cargo.
He further disclosed that the NPA is advancing efforts to eliminate human interface in port processes by fully automating operations through the Ports Community System (PCS), a precursor to the National Single Window (NSW)—a globally recognised standard that integrates all trade stakeholders on a unified digital platform.
“These interventions reflect our unwavering resolve to link value creators in the remotest parts of Nigeria to global markets with minimal friction,” Dantsoho said.
Encouraging traders and investors at the fair to engage with the NPA’s business development team at the agency’s pavilion, he urged them to explore the wide-ranging opportunities available through the Authority’s real-time digital platforms.
“To empower Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in line with the theme of this year’s fair, we are aggressively simplifying export procedures to ensure made-in-Nigeria goods move through our ports as smoothly as possible. Our doors are always open for partnerships beyond this fair,” he added.
