From left: Minister for Marine & Blue yega Oyetola, Chairman Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa, Minister of Industry, Trade & Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, Chairman Federal Inland Revenue Service FIRS Mr. Zacchs Adedeji, Managing Director Nigerian Ports Authority NPA, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho and Head National Single Window Secretariat, Mr. Tola Fakolade during the stakeholders forum.

The Federal Government has said it is working round the clock to ensure the introduction of the National Single Window NSW platform at its various seaports and related facilities as part of deliberate measures to cut the cost of doing business by more than 25 per cent.

Recall that the World Bank had observed that the cost of doing business at Nigeria’s seaports is about 40 per cent higher than what obtains in most other West African countries, which has been attributed to delays and administrative bottlenecks.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ forum on the establishment of the National Single Window, held in Lagos, Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola CON, noted that when implemented, the NSW will reduce cost of doing business at Nigeria’s seaports by over 25 per cent.

The Minister further admitted that the country loses an estimated annual revenue of ₦2.5 trillion for both the government and the business community, a development that makes it expedient for the government to work with its relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies MDAs towards ensuring that the NSW platform comes on stream within the shortest possible time.

Meanwhile, Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority NPA, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has assured that with the active support the agency enjoys from the Minister, the Authority would leave no stone unturned in ensuring quick and successful deployment of the NSW platform in the country, which would largely address challenges faced by business owners, especially in the shipping industry.

The Minister said: “By streamlining operations, improving transparency, and minimizing delays, the system not only drives cost savings but also strengthens overall trade facilitation. The cumulative impact across all areas, including reduced costs, enhanced efficiency, and greater transparency, ultimately contributes to the overall ease of doing business.

“The NSW project implementation is a vital initiative to promote trade facilitation, as this will no doubt raise awareness and enlighten participants on the benefits of NSW. It is also in tandem with the measures being put in place by the Federal Government to improve trade efficiency for the collective economic prosperity in the country.

“Today, we convene as partners in progress to explore how the implementation of the National Single Window system can streamline trade facilitation and catalyze the growth of our blue economy.

“Nigeria’s decision to implement the National Single Window system alongside the Port Community System (led by the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy through the Nigerian Ports Authority) marks a pivotal step in this direction, demonstrating the government’s commitment to modernising trade processes and maximising the utilisation of our marine resources.

“Nigeria’s marine and blue economy represents an untapped gold mine of opportunities. It encompasses a vast spectrum of activities—from maritime shipping and fisheries to renewable energy and coastal tourism.”

He further argued that with an expansive coastline of 853 kilometers and a maritime area of over 46,000 square kilometres, the country is positioned to leverage these resources for more sustainable economic growth.

“The marine and blue economy holds immense potential to contribute significantly to our GDP, create thousands of jobs, and drive regional and global trade.

“Even with immense potential, the marine and blue economy faces challenges, such as inefficiencies in port operations, bureaucratic obstacles, and insufficient coordination with the stakeholders, a development that has impeded growth over the years and must therefore addressed now.

“The Federal Government is also giving priority to multi-modal transport connectivity in order to boost trade and curtail transport cost.

The Federal Government is doing this by improving road, rail, and inland waterways links to and from the ports, and these improvements are targeted at reducing costs of transport”, the Minister further assured.

He further disclosed that the Marine and Blue Economy Ministry in collaboration with the Lagos State Government cleared the Mile 2, Tin Can Port gridlock to improve on haulage operations.

He also said that tugboats, mooring boats, pilot cutters, bollards, and fenders across all port locations for effective seaside operations have been provided.

“We maximised crane productivity and ensured a reduced transit time for vessels and trucks. These led to a reduction in both the vessel and truck turn-around times.

“The vessel turn-around-time went down from an average of seven days to an average of five days, while truck turn-around-time went from an average of 10 days to a few hours. But we are not resting on our oars, as our ultimate goal is to make Nigeria the hub of maritime in West Africa,”

“Efforts are also on top gear to rehabilitate existing port infrastructure and Apapa and Tin Can Island Ports are currently being worked upon as pilot projects. The modernisation exercise would address the issues of aged facilities, which are currently approaching their economic lifespan.

“We are also encouraging private-sector participation in developing green field ports and other infrastructure projects. Additionally, the NPA has acquired two state-of-the-art tugboats to strengthen its fleet, with plans to procure more marine crafts to boost operational efficiency.

“Additionally, the Ministry has begun a strategic plan, and engaged stakeholders to work out modalities, on the best way to start a National Flag Carrier through a Public-Private Partnership PPP, arrangement, an initiative, that is partly designed to create employment and reposition Nigeria’s shipping sector, the Minister also said.

Meanwhile, the Managing Director of the NPA, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, who also spoke at the two-day event, expressed the commitment of the Authority to the NSW implementation, arguing that all over the world, it connects all stakeholders involved in foreign trade, and enables them to carry out trade procedures on one platform.

He said the platform provides a comprehensive online environment for all governmental and business users, including importers, exporters, commercial banks, carriers, Customs, ministries, and other government agencies to perform trade operations.

Dantsoho also said that NSW remains the global trade best practice for the electronic exchange of information in relation to over 500 million TEU movements and billions of tonnes of cargo.

He said he was pleased as a result of the “concrete move” by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to implement the NSW in Nigeria, describing the move as pivotal to deepening the competitiveness of Nigerian ports and positioning the people to reap greater benefits from global trade.

On the Port Community System PCS, which serves as prelude for the deployment of the NSW, the MD said: “The purpose of the PCS is primarily for Nigeria to comply with the requirements of the International Maritime Organisation IMO Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL Convention), whose main 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.

“Furthermore, the Nigerian Ports Authority recognized the importance of Single Window and has planned and implemented its strategy and provided leadership within the Nigerian Ports Community. The Nigerian Ports Authority has been consistent in its efforts since year 2011 to fully operate the PCS.

“The Authority has consequently taken a very proactive approach to embracing ICT technologies in implementing a number of its internal activities. This is due to the belief that cargo operations in Nigeria’s seaports cannot meet international standards without the Port Community System.

“The National Single Window is a central piece in the modernisation of our trade facilitation, and the Nigerian Ports Authority, under the supervision of the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, His Excellency, Adegboyega Oyetola, is fully committed to its successful implementation”.

He pointed out the in recognition of how important single window can be in the nation’s ports operation, his agency earlier enlisted the technical guidance of the IMO for the deployment of the Port Community System PCS.

Dantoso disclosed that Nigeria was admitted as a member of the International Port Community System Association (IPCSA), to join top-class ports in the region, like Tangier Med Port of Morocco, Ghana, Togo, Ivory Coast and Benin Republic after fulfilling necessary requirements.

He said that in repositioning Nigerian Ports to ensure regional and continental competitiveness, his agency has been involved in process reengineering,

He explained that this is targeted to be in line with the Authority’s statutory functions having in mind the NSW objectives, and also to ensure parity with regional competitors, “focusing on seamless data availability and enhanced transparency”.

He added, “I would like to emphasize that our mission is to position Nigeria as the trans-shipment hub in West Africa, and with our strategic location, a population of over 200 million people, and a large market, Nigerian Ports have the potential to become the leading trans-shipment hub in the African region.

“We also have the potential to serve as a transit port to land-locked countries, since out of the 44 land-locked countries in the world, 16 are in Africa”.

He expressed regret that this potential is suffering some constraints of infrastructure challenges and competition since neighbouring countries are developing their ports infrastructure.

The NPA-boss, however assured that upcoming up -coming port modernisation projects are determined to bridge this gap and ensure that Nigerian ports are ever competitive among regional counterparts.