The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho has described the National Single Window (NSW) platform as a strategic tool to drive efficiency and make Nigerian seaports become the transshipment hub in the West and Central African sub-region.
Dantsoho stated this at the opening session of the ongoing stakeholder’s conference on NSW in Lagos on Tuesday, describing it as the most strategic port initiative since 2003.
His words: “I would like to emphasize that our mission is to position Nigeria as a transshipment hub in West Africa, and with our strategic location, our population of over 200 million people, and a large market, the Nigerian ports will soon become the leading transshipment hub in the African region.
“We also have the opportunity to serve as a transit port to landlocked countries, since out of the 44 landlocked countries in the world, 16 are located in Africa. However, this is potentially a country constrained by infrastructure challenges and competition, as neighboring countries continue to develop their port infrastructure.
“The upcoming modernization of ports is, however, aimed at bridging the gap and ensuring that our ports remain competitive within the region.”
The NPA boss also said that NSW would promote Nigeria’s standing in the global committee of maritime nations and provide the reputational capital necessary for actualizing the admittance of Nigeria into the Category ‘C’ of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
While highlighting the importance of the NSW and the work the Authority has done to create the enabling environment for its implementation, Dantsoho said the concrete move by President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, to implement the National Single Window in Nigeria would deepen the competitiveness of seaports and position the nation for greater benefits of global trade.
“NPA has been pursuing the idea of the port community system which is a forerunner to the single window nationally. The purpose of the port community system is primarily for Nigeria to comply with the dictates of the International Maritime Organization, Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic, whose main aim or objectives are to prevent unnecessary delays in maritime traffic, to aid cooperation between governments, and to secure the highest practicable degree of uniformity in formalities and other procedures on the port,” he said.
He also affirmed that the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) trade facilitation agreement requires member states to implement the single window system, thus NPA enlisted the technical guidance of the IMO for the deployment of the port community system, (PCS) which is a precursor to the NSW.
“Recently upon our fulfillment of the necessary requirements, Nigeria was admitted as a member of the International Port Community System Association to join top-class ports in the region like Tangier Med Port of Morocco, the Port of Tema in Ghana, the Togo Port, Ivory Coast, and the Republic of Benin among others.
“Clearly, the Port Authority has taken a very proactive approach to embracing ICT technologies and implementing a number of its own internal activities, in the belief that the cargo operations in our ports cannot meet international best practices without the port community system.
“At a time like this, a phase in which Nigeria is undergoing a socio-economic turnaround, the Nigerian Port Authority will certainly strive to match the pace and expectation of the government,” he said.
Dantsoho highlighted the importance of collaboration among government agencies, which is essential for the success of both the single window and the port community system.
