The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), in partnership with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), has concluded a three-day high-level stakeholder engagement in Lagos aimed at reducing cargo dwell time at the nation’s ports to seven days.
The engagement, held under the Business Environment Enhancement Programme Accelerator framework and hosted by the NPA, brought together members of the Ports and Customs Efficiency Committee to drive practical reforms that will strengthen the ease of doing business in Nigeria.
The session took place at the Lagos Port Complex in Apapa and followed an intensive shadowing exercise during which officials observed live vessel berthing and cargo clearance operations at both the Tin Can Island Port and the Lagos Port Complex. The hands-on approach was designed to give regulators and stakeholders a first-hand understanding of the operational bottlenecks affecting port efficiency.
Speaking during the engagement, PEBEC Director General, Zahrah Mustapha, said the initiative marked a shift from merely identifying problems to implementing solutions that have long been overdue.
She noted that Nigeria continues to suffer daily economic losses as a result of inefficiencies within the port system, stressing that these losses translate into missed opportunities, uncreated jobs and delayed national growth. According to her, the reforms are focused on building resilience and unlocking the country’s economic potential.
Mustapha explained that the engagement deliberately integrated government regulators with private sector operators in order to promote transparency, shared responsibility and accountability. She added that reducing cargo dwell time and improving vessel turnaround would have a direct and positive impact on trade competitiveness and investor confidence.
Earlier, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Abubakar Dantsoho, reaffirmed the Authority’s commitment to supporting PEBEC’s reform agenda. He highlighted ongoing efforts by the NPA, including collaboration with the International Maritime Organisation to deploy the Port Community System, which will form the digital backbone of the National Single Window. He said the system is expected to eliminate manual processes, reduce delays and better coordinate port operations.
Dantsoho also recalled that the NPA recorded a 100 per cent success rate in PEBEC reforms, ranking fifth among government agencies in 2025 with an 84.2 per cent compliance score, a performance he described as evidence of the Authority’s readiness to embrace further reforms.
The outcomes of the Lagos engagement are expected to be implemented in the coming months. By addressing the operational gaps identified during the port inspections, PEBEC and the NPA aim to create a more efficient and competitive maritime environment capable of attracting investment and facilitating smoother, faster trade flows across Nigeria’s ports.