Nigeria: Ports Authority, Council Work On Reducing Cargo Dwell Time At Seaports

9 February 2026
Leadership (Abuja)
By Yusuf Babalola

The managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, has said the Authority's collaboration with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to deploy the Port Community System (PCS) will eliminate manual bottlenecks and synchronise operations across Nigeria's seaports.

Dantsoho disclosed this at a three-day high-level stakeholder engagement in Lagos titled "Achieving a 7-day Cargo Dwell Time," organised by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) in collaboration with the NPA.

The engagement convened the Ports and Customs Efficiency Committee (PCEC) under the Business Environment Enhancement Programme Accelerator (BEEPA) framework, focusing on streamlining port processes to improve efficiency and ease of doing business.

According to the NPA boss, the PCS will serve as the digital backbone of the National Single Window, enabling seamless information exchange among port stakeholders and reducing delays caused by manual documentation.

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Speaking earlier, the director-general of PEBEC, Zahrah Mustapha, said the session was designed to go beyond identifying challenges and focus on implementing long-overdue practical solutions.

"Nigeria loses significantly every day due to operational inefficiencies," Mustapha said. "These are not just numbers; they represent missed opportunities, jobs not created, and delayed economic growth. This reform is about resilience and unlocking the nation's economic potential."

She added that the initiative brings together government regulators and private-sector stakeholders to promote transparency and accountability, with the ultimate objective of reducing cargo dwell time and improving vessel turnaround time.

Recall 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.

Outcomes from the stakeholder engagement are expected to be implemented in the coming months. By addressing operational gaps identified during port inspections, the NPA and PEBEC aim to build a more competitive maritime environment that attracts investment and facilitates seamless trade.

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