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 through the Nigerian Ports Authority.

Doctor Dantsoho issued this appeal during the ‘NPA Special Day’ event at the 36th Enugu International Trade Fair. The theme for this year’s trade fair was “Strengthening Nigeria’s Industrial Sector/SMEs for Enhanced Economic Growth and Worldwide Acknowledgment.”

As he stated, the Authority aimed to bolster the local economy by improving the trade balance through the introduction of Export Processing Terminals (EPTs). These terminals were designed to streamline what was previously a complex export procedure for Nigerian products. He also mentioned that the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) has implemented strategies to connect producers located in even the most remote areas with markets worldwide.

He stated that being Nigeria’s leading trade facilitation platform, the NPA takes great pride in association with the commendable mission embodied by the Trade Fair. This connection holds particular significance since trade continues to serve as the premier instrument for achieving many of our economic goals.

He reassured all stakeholders that the doors of NPA remain consistently open for potential collaborations extending past the trade fair. “Thus, 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 offers real-time access.”
www.nigerianports.gov.ng
To gain access to our growth initiatives.”

Dr. Dantsoho stated that the EPTs were designed to function as a single hub for consolidating cargo, packing, processing documents, certifying goods, and facilitating their subsequent transportation via an electronic system directly to ports with minimal delay. This approach was meant to streamline operations and remove redundancies and administrative hurdles that had formerly made Nigerian exports less competitive globally.

He stated, “For enhancing connections between ports and their hinterlands and 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), working alongside the NEPC and pertinent collaborators.”

To support the government’s focus on improving business operations and in line with this year’s trade fair theme ‘Strengthening Nigeria’s Manufacturing Industry/SMEs for Economic Growth and Worldwide Acknowledgment,’ we are actively streamlining our export procedures to facilitate smooth passage of Nigerian-made products through our ports.

The NPA MD additionally revealed that to meet this objective, the Authority is removing points where human interaction can lead to corrupt practices by fully automating NPA processes and procedures via the Ports Community System (PCS), thus 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 integrating all participants in the trade value chain for smooth interactions at the touch of a button,” stated Dr. Dantsoho.

Dr. Dantsoho praised ECCIMA for maintaining the tradition of warmth and business openness, which continues to draw individuals worldwide to participate in the Trade Fair, thereby enhancing economic growth.

He emphasized that the advantageous location of Enugu as a key entry point to the South-Eastern interior offers substantial prospects for expanding export opportunities, which is the main objective of the Authority.