The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), in collaboration with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), has concluded a three-day high-level stakeholder engagement in Lagos aimed at streamlining port operations and enhancing the ease of doing business in Nigeria.
City Business News reports that the engagement, themed “Achieving a 7-Day Cargo Dwell Time,” brought together members of the Ports and Customs Efficiency Committee (PCEC) under the Business Environment Enhancement Programme Accelerator (BEEPA) framework.
Hosted by the NPA, the session focused on practical reforms to reduce cargo dwell time and improve overall port efficiency.
Held at the Lagos Port Complex (LPC), Apapa, the programme followed an extensive “shadowing” exercise during which officials observed real-time vessel berthing and cargo clearance operations at both the Tincan Island and Lagos Port complexes. The exercise provided first-hand insights into operational gaps and bottlenecks affecting turnaround time.
Speaking at the engagement, PEBEC Director-General, Zahrah Mustapha, said the initiative was designed to move beyond problem identification to the implementation of long-overdue solutions.
“Nigeria loses significantly every day due to operational inefficiencies. These are not just numbers; they represent missed opportunities, jobs not created, and delayed economic growth,” Mustapha said. “This reform is about resilience and unlocking the nation’s economic potential.”
She explained that the initiative deliberately integrates government regulators and private-sector stakeholders to promote transparency, accountability and shared ownership of reforms, with the ultimate objective of reducing cargo dwell time and improving vessel turnaround time.
Earlier, the Managing Director of the NPA, Abubakar Dantsoho, reaffirmed the Authority’s commitment to supporting PEBEC’s reform agenda. He highlighted ongoing efforts by the NPA, including collaboration with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to deploy the Port Community System (PCS), which will serve as the digital backbone for the National Single Window.
According to Dantsoho, the PCS is expected to eliminate manual bottlenecks, improve data sharing and synchronise port operations across agencies, thereby significantly enhancing efficiency.
He recalled that the NPA recorded a 100 per cent success rate in PEBEC reforms, ranking fifth among government agencies in 2025 with an 84.2 per cent compliance rating, underscoring the Authority’s commitment to continuous improvement.
The outcomes of the stakeholder engagement are expected to be implemented in the coming months. By addressing the operational gaps identified during the port inspections, PEBEC and the NPA aim to create a more competitive and efficient maritime environment capable of attracting investment and facilitating seamless trade.
