• As PEBEC, NPA Wrap Up Talks in Lagos
By Florence Allor
The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council, PEBEC, in partnership with the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, has concluded a three-day stakeholder engagement in Lagos aimed at reducing cargo dwell time at the nation’s ports.
The engagement, themed “Achieving a 7-Day Cargo Dwell Time,” brought together the Ports and Customs Efficiency Committee under the Business Environment Enhancement Programme Accelerator, BEEPA, framework.
Hosted by the NPA, the session focused on streamlining port operations to improve the ease of doing business, according to a statement issued by the authority on Sunday.
Held at the Lagos Port Complex in Apapa, the programme followed a “shadowing” exercise during which officials observed real-time vessel berthing and cargo clearance processes at the Tincan Island and Lagos Port complexes.
Speaking at the event, PEBEC Director-General, Princess Zahrah Mustapha said the initiative was designed to move beyond identifying challenges to implementing practical solutions that had been delayed for years.
She said the engagement integrates government regulators and private sector stakeholders to promote transparency and accountability, with the aim of reducing cargo dwell time and improving vessel turnaround time.
Earlier, the Managing Director of the NPA, Abubakar Dantsoho, reaffirmed the authority’s commitment to supporting PEBEC’s mandates.
He said the NPA was working with the International Maritime Organisation to deploy the Port Community System, expected to serve as the digital backbone for the National Single Window.
According to him, the system is designed to eliminate manual bottlenecks and synchronise port operations.
The NPA recently recorded a 100 per cent success rate in PEBEC reforms, ranking fifth among agencies in 2025 with an 84.2 per cent compliance rating.
The outcomes of the engagement are expected to be implemented in the coming months, as the NPA and PEBEC move to close operational gaps identified during port inspections and create a more competitive maritime environment that attracts investment and facilitates trade.
The exercise forms part of the 90-day Business Environment Enhancement Programme Accelerator, BEEPA, launched by PEBEC to address issues identified in the latest Business Facilitation Act Compliance Report published by the council in November 2025.
