By Roland Ekama
Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Koko – Bello has attributed the continuous deteriorating infrastructure, and inadequate power supply as some of the factors affecting seamless flow of cargoes at the nation’s seaports.
Koko -Bello who disclosed this on Thursday in Lagos as a participant in the Business Day Conference on Nigeria’s Maritime tagged: Unlocking Potentials & Overcoming Challenges alongside the Honorable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola, and industry leaders, was emphasizing on the significant trade barriers in Nigeria, including fiscal and monetary policies, and challenges.
He noted that NPA as an agency of the government is vital to the nation’s economic revival, while committed to addressing these trade barriers and implementing measures to revitalize and strengthen the economy.
The Managing Director, NPA on his official X handle , stated that “Earlier today, I was honored to participate in the Business Day Conference on Nigeria’s Maritime: Unlocking Potentials & Overcoming Challenges alongside the Honorable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, His Excellency Alh Adegboyega Oyetola, and industry leaders.
“During the panel discussion, I emphasized the significant trade barriers in Nigeria, including fiscal and monetary policies, and challenges such as the multiplicity of government agencies, deteriorating port infrastructure, and inadequate power supply.
“As a government agency vital to the nation’s economic revival, we are committed to addressing these trade barriers and implementing measures to revitalize and strengthen the economy. ”
He explained that the Port Community System (PCS) is a critical milestone in NPA’s journey to automation, which according to him, has the potential to revolutionize port operations.
“Our focus is on automating the port system to streamline trade, minimize congestion, and reduce idle time. The Port Community System is a critical milestone in our journey to this automation, which has the potential to revolutionize port operations.
“We aim to modernize our ports to regain lost transit and transshipment of cargo to neighboring ports, and tackle bottlenecks in our export processes through strategic initiatives like the Export Processing Terminals (EPT).
“We are dedicated to collaborating with relevant agencies to cultivate an innovative and excellent ecosystem for sustainable growth.”
