FG Moves To Reduce Cargo Clearance From 21 To Seven Days At Nigerian Ports

Nigeria's Federal Government is set to significantly cut cargo clearance times at its ports, aiming to reduce the current 21-day average to just seven days. This initiative, spearheaded by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), seeks to boost trade efficiency, lower logistics costs, and enhance the nation's global competitiveness.

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As a resolution from the committee that was set up, we were tasked to try and bring down our cargo dwell time from 21 days to seven days.

Princess Zahra Audu, Director-General of PEBEC, highlighted that prolonged cargo clearance has been a major bottleneck, especially when compared to neighboring countries. "We worked assiduously with initiatives such as our joint inspection," she explained, noting efforts to coordinate agencies for quicker ship turnaround. The shift from physical cargo inspection to scanners is also optimizing services.

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We worked assiduously with initiatives such as our joint inspection, which was designed to ensure that when cargos are berth, all agencies coordinate the effort to clearing the ship on time, so that the turnaround time is quicker.

Further reforms include the establishment of a National Single Window, a unified digital platform designed to simplify documentation for importers and exporters by integrating various government agencies. PEBEC has also actively worked to dismantle illegal checkpoints along the Apapa and Tin Can Island ports corridors, with plans to sustain this effort for the next three years.

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For starters, we also have coordinated effort for inspection of cargos. We’ve also moved away from physical inspection of cargos to scanners, which also has optimized the service. The whole idea is to ensure that containers that arrive in Nigeria are cleared out within seven days. It’s a work in progress.

These measures are part of a broader strategy to streamline the movement of imports and exports, making Nigerian ports more efficient and attractive for international trade. The government aims to ensure containers are cleared within seven days, a significant improvement over the current system.

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The National Single Window is streamlining all the agencies and placing them on one mainstream software infrastructure that will enable them to coordinate seamlessly in terms of the documentation needed for the import and export of goods.