The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), in partnership with the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) and the Ports and Customs Efficiency Committee (PCEC), has stepped up efforts to actualise a seven-day cargo dwell time at Nigeria’s seaports.
This followed a three-day high-level stakeholder engagement held in Lagos under the Business Environment Enhancement Programme Accelerator (BEEPA), themed “Achieving a 7-Day Cargo Dwell Time.” The engagement was hosted by the NPA at the Lagos Port Complex (LPC), Apapa.
The NPA said the meeting was organised after an extensive “shadowing” exercise, during which officials observed real-time vessel berthing and cargo clearance operations at the Tin Can Island Port and the Lagos Port Complex to identify operational gaps and inefficiencies.
Speaking at the event, the Director-General of PEBEC, Mrs. Zahrah Mustapha, said the engagement was designed to move beyond identifying challenges and focus on implementing practical and sustainable solutions.
According to her, Nigeria records significant losses daily due to operational inefficiencies at the ports, stressed that the impact goes beyond revenue to include missed investment opportunities, job losses and delayed economic growth. She noted that the reform initiative integrates government regulators and private sector operators to ensure transparency, accountability and improved efficiency.
Earlier, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the NPA, Mr. Abubakar Dantsoho, reaffirmed the Authority’s commitment to supporting PEBEC’s reform agenda.
Dantsoho disclosed that the NPA is collaborating with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to deploy a Port Community System (PCS), which will serve as the digital backbone for the National Single Window. He said the initiative is expected to eliminate manual bottlenecks and improve coordination among port stakeholders.
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.
The NPA added that outcomes from the stakeholder engagement are expected to be implemented in the coming months, noting that closing identified operational gaps would enhance port competitiveness, attract investment and facilitate seamless trade.
