Esther Oritse
Lagos — Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority, has urged traders and investors to take advantage of the specially designed streamlined export procedures and various opportunities available at the Nigerian Ports Authority.
Dr. Dantsoho issued this appeal during the 'NPA Special Day' event at the 36th Enugu International Trade Fair, where the annual fair’s theme was "Strengthening Nigeria’s Industrial Sector/SMEs for Economic Growth and Worldwide Acknowledgment."
As he explained, the Authority aimed to bolster the local economy by improving the trade balance, which led to the creation of Export Processing Terminals (EPTs). These terminals were designed to streamline what was previously an arduous export procedure for Nigerian products. He added that the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) had implemented strategies to connect producers located in even the most remote areas of inland regions directly with markets across the world.
He stated that being Nigeria’s leading trade facilitation platform, the NPA takes great pride in associating itself with the important mission represented by the Trade Fair. This association is particularly significant since trade continues to be the most effective means for achieving many of our economic goals.
He reassured the stakeholders that the doors of NPA remain consistently open for collaborations extending past the trade fair. "Consequently, I extend a warm invitation to engage with our business development team at the NPA pavilion and to explore our comprehensive interactive online platform which provides real-time updates." www.nigerianports.gov.ng To unlock our growth initiatives."
Dr. Dantsoho outlined that the EPTs were designed to function as a single hub for cargo aggregation, preparation, paperwork, certification, and subsequent dispatch via digital requests directly to the ports, aiming for rapid processing times. This approach was meant to eliminate redundancies and administrative hurdles that had formerly made Nigerian exports less competitive globally.
He stated, "For enhancing the connection between ports and their inland hinterlands, as well as establishing opportunities for Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (SMEs) to participate in the export value chain, the Economic Processing Zones (EPTs) should be integrated with Domestic Export Warehouses (DEWs). This integration must work alongside initiatives from the National Exports Council (NEPC) and other key collaborators."
To support the government's focus on improving business operations and in line with this year's fair theme 'Strengthening Nigeria’s Industry/SMEs for Economic Growth and Worldwide Acknowledgment,' we are actively streamlining our export procedures to facilitate the smooth passage of Nigerian-made products through our ports.
The NPA MD additionally revealed that to meet this objective, the Authority is removing human interaction points that facilitate backdoor transactions by fully automating NPA processes and procedures via the Ports Community System (PCS), thereby establishing the foundation for the introduction of the National Single Window (NSW).
"For clarity, the NSW represents global best practices in providing maximum value effortlessly by uniting all parties involved in the trading value chain for smooth interactions with just one click," stated Dr. Dantsoho.
Dr. Dantsoho praised ECCIMA for maintaining the tradition of warmth and business openness, noting how this continues to draw individuals worldwide to participate in the Trade Fair, thereby enhancing economic growth.
He mentioned that Enugu’s strategic location as the entryway to the South-Eastern interior offers substantial potential for expanding export opportunities, which is the main objective of the Authority.