In a renewed drive to enhance port operations and accelerate the ease of doing business in Nigeria, the Federal Government, through the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), will inaugurate the Ports and Customs Efficiency Committee (PCEC) on Thursday, April 24, 2025.
The high-profile inauguration ceremony, which is set to hold at the headquarters of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in Marina, Lagos, will be chaired by the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Senator Ibrahim Kashim Shettima.
Comprising over 50 key stakeholders, including heads of critical government agencies and captains of industry from the private sector, the PCEC is designed as a multi-stakeholder platform to drive systemic reforms within the country’s ports and customs ecosystem. It aims to bridge long-standing gaps in coordination, eliminate bureaucratic red tape, and introduce service delivery models that promote efficiency, transparency, and accountability.
According to PEBEC, the core objective of the committee is to reduce operational inefficiencies that have historically impeded trade facilitation in Nigeria. The initiative is also expected to fast-track economic prosperity by making Nigerian ports more competitive and attractive to global trade partners.
Some of the immediate gains targeted by the committee include a drastic reduction in cargo dwell time, improved inter-agency coordination, streamlined port clearance processes, and the institution of a more customer-centric operational culture.
Speaking ahead of the inauguration, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, emphasized the strategic importance of the committee to the agency’s ongoing reform agenda.
“We are greatly delighted to host this all-important collaborative process-improvement meeting, as it is very much in tandem with our efforts at eliminating bottlenecks and bursting red tapes on the path of trade facilitation,” Dantsoho stated.
Dantsoho said: “The PCEC is a multi-stakeholder (public/private sector) initiative aimed at infusing greater efficiency and improved service delivery within the Nigeria’s ports and customs sector.
“It’s overarching objective is to identify gaps and implement solutions to enhance the ease of doing business.
“This will be achieved by reducing inefficiencies that impede trade facilitation and slow the pace of national economic prosperity.
“The quick wins expected from the PCEC include improved efficiency and reduced cargo dwell time.
“It is also to enhance transparency and accountability in port operations, better coordination among stakeholders and improved customer-centric focus.
Dantsoho expressed delight at hosting what he described as “this all-important collaborative process-improvement meeting.”
He said that the programme is in tandem with their efforts at eliminating bottlenecks and bursting red tapes on the path of trade facilitation.
He added that the NPA remains committed to supporting federal initiatives aimed at repositioning Nigerian ports as efficient, transparent, and service-oriented gateways to economic growth.
Stakeholders across the maritime and logistics value chain have long called for deeper reforms to address endemic inefficiencies within the ports and customs system—issues that have contributed to prolonged cargo delays, rising logistics costs, and declining investor confidence. The PCEC is expected to serve as a high-level response mechanism to these challenges, ensuring that reforms are not only proposed but swiftly implemented.
With the formal take-off of the committee this week, industry watchers are hopeful that Nigeria may be on the cusp of a new era of seamless trade facilitation and port reforms driven by cross-sector collaboration and presidential backing.
