From left: Managing Director of NPA, Mohammed Bello-Koko and DG, BPSR, Dr. Arabi Dasuki during the visit.

The Nigerian Ports Authority has said it is willing to partner the Bureau of Public Service Reforms BPSR in its efforts to ensure that the country’s seaports emerge a hub for the West and Central African sub-region by making them efficient and user friendly.

Managing Director of NPA, Mohammed Bello-Koko, who made this known, spoke in Lagos, Thursday when he played host to the Director General of the bureau, Dr. Arabi Dasuki and his team, who were on a one-day working visit to the corporate headquarters of NPA, Marina, Lagos.

He noted that the management of the authority under his watch has embarked on a robust automation programme, which will also integrate all the port systems and operations under one port community system as well as harbours automation, which is being carried out in conjunction with the International Maritime Organisation IMO.

Meanwhile, the DG of the BPSR, while speaking during the visit, commended the Bello-Koko-led management of the NPA over its efforts to turnaround the fortunes of the nation’s port industry, especially the rejigging of the truck electronic call up system codenamed ‘eto’, which has drastically reduced the gridlocks on port access roads in Apapa.

He pledged to partner the NPA especially in the areas of human capital reforms and development, which he said are also crucial to achieving efficient and user-friendly port systems and operations.