The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has set a 7-day cargo dwell time as part of initiatives to improve businesses at the country’s ports.
The target was the outcome of a three-day high-level stakeholder engagement held in Lagos that brought together the Ports and Customs Efficiency Committee (PCEC) under the Business Environment Enhancement Programme Accelerator (BEEPA) framework and hosted by the NPA geared towards streamlining port processes to bolster the ease of doing business.
The engagement, which held at the Lagos Port Complex (LPC) in Apapa, followed an extensive “shadowing” exercise where officials observed real-time vessel berthing and cargo clearance operations at both the Tin Can Island and Lagos Port complexes.
Speaking at the event, PEBEC Director General Zahrah Mustapha emphasized that the session was designed to move beyond identifying hurdles toward implementing long-overdue practical solutions.
“Nigeria loses significantly every day due to operational inefficiencies,” Mustapha stated.
“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.”
Mustapha noted that the initiative integrates both government regulators and private sector stakeholders to ensure transparency and accountability, with the ultimate goal of reducing cargo dwell time and improving vessel turnaround time.
Earlier, the Managing Director of the NPA, Abubakar Dantsoho reiterated the Authority’s commitment to supporting PEBEC’s mandates.
He highlighted the NPA’s progress including collaborating with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to deploy the Port Community System (PCS) which will serve as the digital backbone for the National Single Window, a move expected to eliminate manual bottlenecks and synchronize port operations.
Recall that the NPA achieved a 100% success rate in PEBEC reforms, ranking 5th among agencies in 2025 with an 84.2% compliance rating.
