The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is arranging for seaports to operate 24 hours, aiming to remove barriers hindering export and import trade in Africa’s most populous nation.
By operating round the clock, the ports can eliminate delays and costs associated with the non-clearing of cargo on weekends and public holidays.
Speaking in Lagos on Thursday at the BusinessDay Maritime Conference themed, ‘Nigeria Maritime: Unlocking Potential, Overcoming Challenges,’ Mohammed Bello-Koko, managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), said the management of Nigeria Customs has agreed to have its officers work on a shift basis to actualise 24-hour port operations and ensure cargo owners take delivery of their consignments without delays.
According to Bello-Koko, the Comptroller-General of Customs has committed to work with the NPA to ensure that all those non-tariff barriers to trade that come with Customs procedures are removed.
Highlighting the sector’s critical role in economic diversification and sustainable development, Oyetola said there are initiatives to propel Nigeria into the top ranks of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC).
He said the Ministry had prioritised strategic reforms that would enhance operational efficiency and attract investments, including implementing the National Single Window and Port Community System to automate port processes.
“These measures are geared towards improving Nigeria’s ease of doing business ranking and fostering a conducive environment for trade and investment. The importance of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in advancing port modernisation, dredging ports, and deploying cutting-edge maritime technologies cannot be over-emphasised,” the minister said.
He said Nigeria has been recording export volume of about 1.5 million to 1.8 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) over the last 12 years, which is very low compared to the UK which is recording exports of about 20 million TEUs with just 60 million people.
