Stakeholders in the maritime sector have called on the Federal Government to develop a satellite tracking system to control transit cargoes in the West African sub-region.
The advice is contained in a communiqué issued in Lagos after a dialogue hosted by the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Mines, Industries and Agriculture (NACCIMA) recently.
Stakeholders in the maritime sector have called on the Federal Government to develop a satellite tracking system to control transit cargoes in the West African sub-region.
The advice is contained in a communiqué issued in Lagos after a dialogue hosted by the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Mines, Industries and Agriculture (NACCIMA) recently.
Some of the participants at the forum were drawn from the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) and Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) among others.
The participants said that transit cargo process which generated revenue and employment was being controlled by Ghana, Togo, and Cote d’Ivoire.
The communiqué said that the development called for Nigeria to develop a tracking and E-bond system to take over the controlling system.
The communiqué also urged the Federal government to increase the competitiveness of Nigerian products by reducing shipping procedure and cost.
“The Federal Government should compel the terminal operators to have dedicated berths for exports in line with international best practice.
“The Nigerian Customs Service should also simplify its procedures and reduce the multiplicity of agents to the relevant ones.
“Export bonded warehouses should also be created with six hours timeline for export and 18 hours timeline for forwarding to final destination as it is the practice,'' it said.
It also urged regulatory government agencies to conform with the single window one-stop shop approach as approved by the United Nations to harmonise data for single submission and clearance.
The communiqué also urged the Nigeria Customs Service to develop a Risk Management System to review and accommodate homogenous goods based on the principle of blue and green channels in line with internal practice.
According to the communiqué, it will enable goods exit ports within 24 hours as stipulated in the adopted procedures.
It also urged the Nigeria Customs Service to develop ways to check against system breakdown, which was limiting the effectiveness of the newly established Pre-Arrival Assessment Report
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