The Bureau of Public Service Reform (BPSR) has asked the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to enhance the automation of its documentation and payment processes to make doing business at the nation’s ports easier.
The Director-General of BPSR, Dr Dasuki Arabi, made the call in Abuja, at the 2022 edition of BPSR Lunch Time Seminar on the Contribution of NPA in Enhancing Economic Growth and the Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria.
According to Arabi, this would complement the efforts of the NPA to eradicate the perceived bureaucratic bottlenecks that have been responsible for the high cost of doing business at Nigerian ports.
He commended the efforts of the NPA in ensuring a smooth running of the ports while urging them to do more.
Arabi stated that port operations such as arriving vessel scheduling, allocation of wharf space and cranes to serve the vessels, and cargo loading and unloading were critical to Nigeria’s economy.
“The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), however, has been consistently making efforts to relieve the importers and ports operators with several incentives.”
“Port Operators attributed the following factors as contributing to the high cost of doing business at the ports; gridlock on the port access roads, delay in scanning and physical examination, duplicated charges and charges not tied to services.
“Other factors were lack of holding bay and trailer parks; unethical conduct of shipping companies and terminal operators; infrastructure problem; customs procedure and associated delays.
“The Nigeria Ports Authority in implementing the executive order on ease of doing business, is addressing these and other related challenges.
