The federal government has announced its plans to implement the National Single Window (NSW) in its bid to reduce the cost of doing business across tha nation?s ports by at least 25 per cent.

The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adeboyega Oyetola disclosed this in Lagos on Tuesday.

Speaking at the stakeholders? forum on the establishment of the NSW in Lagos , Oyetola said the implementation of the Single Window System will enhance efficiency, potentially reducing the costs by at least 25 per cent.

As highlighted by the World Bank, the cost of doing business at Nigerian ports can be up to 40 per cent higher than in other West African countries due to delays and administrative bottlenecks, leading to an estimated annual revenue loss of ?2.5 trillion within the business community.

According to Oyrtola, ?By streamlining operations, improving transparency, and minimizing delays, the system not only drives cost savings but also strengthens overall trade facilitation. The cumulative impact across all areas, including reduced costs, enhanced efficiency, and greater transparency, ultimately contributes to the overall ease of doing business.?

Oyetola, however, stated that the federal government is prioritising multimodal connectivity to boost trade and reduce transportation cost.

According to him, the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu led administration is advancing multimodal connectivity by improving road, rail, and inland waterway links to and from the ports.

The Minister said these improvements are targeted at reducing transportation costs, enhancing logistics, and boosting trade.

Oyetola speaking at the stakeholders? forum on the establishment of the National Single Window (NSW) in Lagos, said his Ministry in collaboration with the Lagos State.

?Government, cleared the age-long Apapa ? Tincan ? Mile 2 traffic for landside operations and provided tugboats, mooring boats, pilot cutters, bollards, and fenders across all port locations for effective seaside operations.

?We maximized crane productivity and ensured a reduced transit time for vessels and trucks. These led to a reduction in both the vessel and truck turn-around times.

?The vessel turn-around-time went down from an average of 7 days to an average of 5 days, while truck turn-around-time went from an average of 10 days to a few hours. But we are not resting on our oars, as our ultimate goal is to make Nigeria the hub of maritime in West Africa,? Oyetola said.

The Minister added that efforts are underway to revamp existing ports, with Apapa and Tin Can Island Ports as pilot projects, pointing out that the modernization would address the aged facilities nearing the end of their economic lifespan and enhance hinterland connectivity.

?We are also encouraging private-sector participation in developing greenfield ports and other infrastructure projects. Additionally, the NPA has acquired two state-of-the-art tugboats to strengthen its fleet, with plans to procure more marine crafts to boost operational efficiency,? he said.

He said further that the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy has commenced a strategic plan and modality by engaging its stakeholders looking at the best way to establish a National Flag Carrier through a Private Public Partnership (PPP), saying that the initiative aims to generate employment, reposition the maritime sector, and provide revenue streams for the government.

?Furthermore, arrangements for the disbursement of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) are being finalized to support the development of the shipping sector.?

Speaking on the implementation of the NSW project, he said it is a vital initiative to enhance trade facilitation in Nigeria, saying that the initiative will undoubtedly raise awareness and enlighten participants on the benefits of NSW as the Government works to improve trade efficiency for the collective economic prosperity of all Nigerians.

?Today, we convene as partners in progress to explore how the implementation of the National Single Window system can streamline trade facilitation and catalyze the growth of our blue economy.

?The executive decision to implement the National Single Window system alongside the Port Community System (led by the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy through the Nigerian Port Authority) marks a pivotal step in this direction, demonstrating the government?s commitment to modernizing trade processes and maximizing the utilization of our marine resources.

?Nigeria?s marine and blue economy represents an untapped gold mine of opportunities. It encompasses a vast spectrum of activities?from maritime shipping and fisheries to renewable energy and coastal tourism,? he added.

He cited that with an expansive coastline of 853 kilometers and a maritime area of over 46,000 square kilometers, Nigeria is strategically positioned to leverage these resources for sustainable economic growth.

?The marine and blue economy holds immense potential to contribute significantly to our GDP, create thousands of jobs, and drive regional and global trade.

?Despite its immense potential, the marine and blue economy faces challenges, including inefficiencies in port operations, bureaucratic obstacles, and insufficient coordination among stakeholders, which have impeded its growth.

?Addressing these challenges requires an efficient, integrated, and secure logistics ecosystem?a goal that the National Single Window system is poised to enable,? he stressed.

The Minister noted that the NSW initiative is a pioneering cross-government system designed to streamline trade facilitation.

?It simplifies trade processes by enabling stakeholders to seamlessly coordinate trade-related transactions across multiple government agencies through a unified electronic platform.

?This digital transformation eliminates redundancies, reduces processing times, and ensures seamless coordination among government agencies and private sector actors. In essence, it is the bedrock for efficiency and competitiveness in global trade.

?Leveraging the implementation of a National Single Window for Nigeria in the trade industry aligns perfectly with our Renewed Hope Agenda,? he added.

In his address, the Managing Director, of Nigerian Ports Authority, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, said the implementation of NSW interconnects all stakeholders involved in foreign trade and enables them to perform trade procedures on one platform, adding that it provides a comprehensive online environment for all governmental and business users such as importers, exporters, commercial banks, carriers, Customs, ministries, and other government agencies to perform trade operations.

Dantsoho said the Single Window operation is the global trade best practice for the electronic exchange of information relating to over 500 million TEU movements and billions of tonnes of cargo for sea, air, and land transport modes.

?This concrete move by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to implement the NSW in Nigeria is pivotal to deepening the competitiveness of our Ports and position the good people of Nigeria to reap greater benefits from global trade.

?The purpose of the Port Community System (PCS) is primarily for Nigeria to comply with the dictates of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL) whose main objectives are to prevent unnecessary delays in maritime traffic, to aid cooperation between governments, and to secure the highest practicable degree of uniformity in formalities and other procedures,? he noted.

He pointed out that In recognition of the importance of this noble objective, the NPA had ahead of time enlisted the technical guidance of the IMO for the deployment of the Port Community System (PCS), which is the precursor to the NSW, and only recently upon our fulfillment of the requirements, Nigeria was admitted as a member of the International Port Community System Association (IPCSA) to join top-class ports in the region, like Tangier Med Port of Morocco, Ghana, Togo, Ivory Coast, Benin Republic amongst others.

?Furthermore, the Nigerian Ports Authority recognized the importance of Single Window and has planned and implemented its strategy and provided leadership within the Nigerian Ports Community.

He said: ?the Authority has taken a very proactive approach to embracing ICT technologies in implementing a number of its internal activities. This is due to the belief that cargo operations in our Ports cannot meet International Standards without the Port Community System.

?The National Single Window is a central piece in the modernization of our trade facilitation, and the Nigerian Ports Authority, under the supervision of His Excellency, Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola CON, Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, is fully committed to its successful implementation,? he added.

Dantsoho added that It is worthy of note that while repositioning Nigerian Ports to maintain regional and continental competitiveness, the Authority has embarked on process reengineering aimed at aligning the Authority?s functions with the objectives of the NSW and ensure parity with regional competitors, focusing on seamless data availability and enhanced transparency.

?I would like to emphasise that our mission is to position Nigeria as the transshipment hub in West Africa, and with our strategic location, a population of over 200 million people, and a large market, Nigerian Ports have the potential to become the leading transshipment hub in the African region.

?We also have the potential to serve as a transit port to land-locked countries since out of the 44 land-locked countries in the world, 16 are in Africa.

?However, this potential is currently constrained by infrastructure challenges and competition as neighboring countries continue to develop their port?s infrastructure. However, the upcoming Port Modernization projects aim to bridge this gap and ensure that our ports remain competitive with regional counterparts.

?There is no doubt that the implementation of the Port Community System is necessarily complex and, therefore, does not happen quickly. Consequently, the Nigerian Ports Authority has been consistent in its efforts since the year 2011 to fully operate the PCS,? Dantsoho said. (The Nation)

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