By Abubkar Yunusa
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has partnered with the presidential enabling business environment council (PEBEC) to reduce cargo dwell time at Nigerian ports.
Cargo dwell time, according to the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), is the time between vessel arrival and container exit from the port facilities.
The current cargo dwell-time in Nigerian seaports is reportedly around 21 days, a period the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NCS) has described as “unacceptable”.
The council had said it is targeting a reduction to the regional average of seven days, matching what neighbouring ports like Cotonou have achieved.
It was learnt that the NPA-PEBEC collaboration, which also involves the ports and customs efficiency committee (PCEC) under the business environment enhancement programme accelerator (BEEPA), included a three-day high-level stakeholder engagement in Lagos.
The engagement, themed ‘Achieving a 7-Day Cargo Dwell Time’, is also expected to streamline port processes to boost the ease of doing business.
In a statement on Monday, Ikechukwu Onyemekara, NPA’s spokesperson, said the engagement followed an extensive “shadowing” exercise, where officials monitored real-time vessel berthing and cargo clearance operations at the Tincan Island and Lagos port complexes.
Speaking at the event, Zahrah Mustapha, the director-general of PEBEC, said the session is focused on implementing practical solutions to long-standing operational challenges at the ports.
“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 said the engagement brings together government regulators and private sector stakeholders to promote transparency and accountability, with the goal of reducing cargo dwell time and improving vessel turnaround time.
Earlier, Abubakar Dantsoho, the managing director and chief executive officer of the NPA, reaffirmed the authority’s commitment to supporting PEBEC’s mandates.
Dantsoho said the NPA is working with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to deploy the port community system (PCS), which is expected to serve as the digital backbone for the national single window and eliminate manual bottlenecks in port operations.
According to the statement, outcomes from the stakeholder engagement are expected to be implemented in the coming months.
“By closing the operational gaps identified during the port inspections, the NPA and PEBEC aim to create a more competitive maritime environment that attracts investment and facilitates seamless trade,” the statement said.
The NPA had said it would launch the PCS in the first quarter (Q1) of 2026 as part of efforts to build a globally competitive port system that enhances trade facilitation and attracts investment.
The authority said the PCS would serve as a digital and collaborative platform that connects stakeholders, data, and transactions to improve its digital footprint.
