NPA Confirms National Single Window Completion by Q1 2026, As Port Efficiency Committee Kicks-off
R-L: Deputy Comptroller General of Customs in charge of Tariff and Trade, DCG Niagwan C.K, Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command of Nigerian Navy, Rear Admiral Michael Gregory Oamen, Managing Director of NPA, Dr Abu Dantsoho, DG of PEBEC, Princess Zahrah Mustapha Audu and President, Nigerian Chamber of Shipping, Alhaji Aminu Umar at the launching of the Ports and Customs Efficiency Committee in Lagos
By DAPO OLAWUNI
The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Dr Abubakar Dantsoho has said that the National Single Window Project would be completed by first quarter of year 2026.
This is even as he assured that President Bola Tinubu has approved the modernization of the Apapa and Tin Can Island Ports under the Port modernization project.
Dantsoho stated this in Lagos on Thursday, at the launching of the Ports and Customs Efficiency Commitee (PCEC) hosted by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) in collaboration with NPA.
Stakeholders present at the meeting included Nigeria Customs Service, terminal operators, shipping companies, truck owners and freight forwarders.
Speaking, Dantsoho said “By first quarter of next year, the Single Window project would be actualised. The President has approved the contract for the implementation of the single window”
He also assured that there shall be regular stakeholder meetings as the port modernization could disrupt businesses and processes inside the port.
“We shall be having more meetings with the stakeholders because the modernization would affect our processes, we need to look at how to survive the construction going on, and for our business to go on smoothly” he said
He noted that the modernization project at Tin Can and Apapa port would provide deeper channels, more space inside the port, and stronger quay aprons and engineering works of the port.
Dantsoho, said the authority is currently adressing four major pillars that are critical to repositioning the nation’s seaports and make it compete effectively with regional counterparts.
According to the NPA boss, investment in infrastructure, equipment, technology, and human capacity would improve competitiveness and operational efficiency of the nation’s seqports.
Dantsoho noted that port infrastructure, particularly in Apapa and Tin Can Island Ports, is aged and in dire need of rehabilitation.
“Tin Can was constructed about 48 years ago, Apapa almost 100 years ago—yet no major rehabilitation has taken place all these years,” he said.
He added that recent government approval for the reconstruction of both ports would significantly improved berth depth and cargo handling capacity.
On the technological front, the NPA MD disclosed that the agency is working closely with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to deploy the Port Community System (PCS), which he described as the backbone for the National Single Window.
He stressed that PCS will eliminate paperwork and reduce human interface, thereby improving transparency, reducing cost, and boosting efficiency and revenue generation.
“The Port Community System cannot happen unless everyone put heads together, it would help us in eliminating to a large extent, the idea of paper transactions, which means we are going to save more money, we would increase capacity and be more efficient, and the revenue would be higher.
“The Port Community System is a precursor to the National Single Window, the National Single Window is for the entire nation while the PCS is for the maritime community. We need to have the capacity to plug into the NSW.
“I am happy to announce that we are making The Port Community System cannot happen unless everyone put heads together, it would help us in eliminating to a large extent, the idea of paper transactions, which means we are going to save more money, we would increase capacity and be more efficient, and the revenue would be higher.
“The Port Community System is a precursor to the National Single Window, the National Single Window is for the entire nation while the PCS is for the maritime community. We need to have the capacity to plug into the NSW.
“I am happy to announce that we are making good progress in achieving the PCS” he said
In terms of human capital, Dantsoho said the NPA is intensifying efforts to upgrade the skills of pilots and technical personnel to meet modern navigational and operational demands.
He concluded by reiterating the importance of inter-agency collaboration across all operational areas.
“NPA cannot do it alone. Efficiency must cut across all segments if we are to truly optimize revenue and compete globally,” he said.
Also speaking at the inaugural meeting of the PCEC, the director general, PEBEC, Princess Zahrah Mustapha Audu, said improving efficiencies at the nation’s seaports would reduce cargo dwell time, vessel turnaround and turnover for Customers.
According to the PEBEC DG, the committee was launched to change the narrative of missed opportunities in the maritime sector and as well unlock potential opportunities, and enhancing Nigeria’s economy.
“By improving efficiencies in our ports, we can drastically reduce the average cargo dwell time and turnover time for customers, eliminate duplication of documentation and manual processes, and ensure customers’ satisfaction.
“This is not just another one of our reforms, but this is about resilience, it’s about unlocking potential opportunities, and enhancing Nigeria’s economy. This is not just a committee made up of government force for a difference, this also has a lot of private sector stakeholders.
“It is a call to action for terminal operators to improve infrastructure and for shipping companies to increase efficiency so as to reduce delays, for freight forwarders to uphold compliance, and for regulators to reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks. It is a call for shared ownership of our shared problem and a commitment to deliver a shared solution,” she stated.
Speaking on missed opportunities, Princess Audu, stated that Customs Committee was established to go beyond identifying the problems but to begin implementing the solutions that are long overdue.
“Nigeria loses a lot every single day due to some of our inefficiencies. These are not just numbers, these are missed opportunities. They represent jobs not created, goods not delivered, investments not realised, and economic growth that is unnecessarily delayed.
“The Ports and Customs Efficiency Committee has been established to change this narrative, to go beyond identifying the problems we already know and begin implementing the solutions we all agree are long overdue.
“At PEBEC, our mandate has been very clear to remove bureaucratic bottlenecks that will allow people do business at Nigerian seaports. Since 2016, we have driven over 200 reforms across sectors, collaborating with ministries, departments, agencies, and private sector and since I came on board, I’ve taken it one step forward.
“So beyond passing or helping pass reforms or policies, it’s time for us to focus on implementation and practical output of what these reforms can translate into. This is why this committee is important to us.
“The Parts and Customs Efficiency Committee is not an observer group, it is an action-oriented, high-impact one, charged with driving sustainable improvement in service delivery at the Nigerian ports working hand-in-hand with agencies like the Nigerian Ports Authority, the Nigerian Customs Services, and other government agencies within the ports, technical operators, shipping companies, freight haulers, logistic providers, exporters, manufacturers, and policymakers, this is a reform ecosystem that accommodates everyone” Princess Audu stated.
