The Nigerian Ports Consultative Council (NPCC) has proposed a workable spectrum of processes with specific solutions capable of driving the National Single Window(NSW) project for efficiency in the nation’s port operations.
The NPCC gave its proposition during a just-concluded NSW summit convened by the Hon. Minister for Marine and Blue economy, Adegboyega Oyetola.
The NPCC team led by its chairman, Mr. Bolaji Sunmola, and the vice chairperson, Barrister Jean Chiazor Anishere, SAN, said that the assurance of achieving set objectives and goals of the NSW should be premised on evaluable factors.
Some of these factors, according to the NPCC team, include “Developing key performance indicators (KPIs), such as clearance time, transaction costs, and volume of processed cargo, to assess system impact. Conducting periodic audit to evaluate the system’s compliance with international standards and its alignment with the goals of transparency and efficiency.”
It has also sought the establishment of communication channels for stakeholders to provide feedback on system performance and report challenges or inefficiencies.
A great deal of the foundation for a workable single window system would involve “Using data from the monitoring mechanisms to identify areas for improvement and upgrade the system as needed. Partnering with independent third-party organizations to conduct objective evaluations of the system’s impact,” the NPCC submitted.
The NPCC team also proposed the importance and need for stakeholders involvement in the planning and implementation of projects to address their concerns, just as it would be important to clearly communicate the benefits of the system to the stakeholders and giving them a sense of inclusion. This should cover issues on costs, time-savings as well as improved competitiveness, ensuring data protection measures.
Other very important positions proposed by the NPCC team regarding competitiveness of the Nigerian Ports are the need for streamlining processes by reducing bureaucratic bottlenecks. This, they said, is achievable by integrating all port-related procedures and documentation into a single platform, to reduce clearance time.
While the above strategy is envisioned to reduce delays, cost in the port system and make the Nigerian ports attractive to global trade, the NPCC team further submitted on the need for training and retraining programmes to build capacity for addressing technical challenges and reduce resistance.
The NPCC team believes that the Nigerian ports system would be the better for its services with improved “stakeholder engagements; workshops, and dialogue sessions with key stakeholders, especially Government and related allied agencies, private operators, shipping companies, manufacturer and exporter, logistics providers, to further create the much needed awareness and to highlight the potentials benefits of the Nigerian Single Window system for Sustainable Economic Development.”
“Advocating for supportive policy reforms and regulatory frameworks as strict mandate for the adoption of the National Single Window System, while further advocating for policymakers on areas of improvement in other to sustain the National Single Window Project.”
Other important areas proposed by the NPCC team include its availability to act as “a neutral platform to resolve conflicts among stakeholders during the transition to the Single Window system, ensuring that concerns are addressed collaboratively. Partnering with international organizations and private sector experts to provide training and capacity-building initiatives that equip stakeholders with the knowledge and tools to integrate with the system effectively.
The NPCC team also underscored the important role of technology and ICT in driving this process as it referenced the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) explanation that : “a single window is defined as a facility that allows parties involved in trade and transport to lodge standardized information and document with a single window entry point to fulfill all import, export and transit related requirements.”
