Dantsoho: NPA is Ready for Partnerships to Enhance Trade Facilitation
Nifemi Coker
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has reaffirmed its commitment to facilitating seamless export processes, urging traders and investors to leverage the new, streamlined procedures designed to boost trade efficiency.
Speaking at the Nigerian Ports Authority’s Special Day at the Kaduna International Trade Fair, NPA Managing Director, Abubakar Dantsoho, emphasized that the Authority remains open to partnerships that will enhance trade facilitation and economic growth.
“I warmly invite stakeholders to engage with our business development team at the NPA pavilion and explore our fully interactive online platform, www.nigerianports.gov.ng, for real-time access to our service offerings,” Dantsoho stated.
Dantsoho highlighted the establishment of Export Processing Terminals (EPTs) as a significant step in simplifying Nigeria’s export logistics, eliminating bureaucratic bottlenecks that previously hampered competitiveness in international trade.
“The EPTs serve as a one-stop-shop for cargo consolidation, stuffing, documentation, packaging, and certification, ensuring smooth onward shipment through an electronic call-up system. This drastically reduces turnaround time and eliminates inefficiencies that previously rendered Nigerian exports uncompetitive,” he explained.
To further enhance port-hinterland connectivity and enable Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to participate in the export value chain, the NPA is linking EPTs with Domestic Export Warehouses (DEWs) in collaboration with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and other relevant stakeholders.
As part of the Federal Government’s ease-of-doing-business agenda, NPA is aggressively pursuing full automation of port operations through the Port Community System (PCS).
“The PCS lays the groundwork for the implementation of the National Single Window (NSW), a global best practice that integrates all trade stakeholders into a seamless digital ecosystem,” he noted.
By leveraging digital transformation, the NPA aims to connect local producers—especially in the non-oil sector—to international markets, bridging gaps between hinterland value creators and global demand clusters.
Dantsoho further commended the Kaduna Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines & Agriculture (KADCCIMA) for sustaining the trade fair, which continues to attract global interest and deepen economic prosperity.
“Kaduna’s strategic location as a major trade and transportation hub—serving as the gateway to Nigeria’s northern hinterland and landlocked neighboring countries—presents vast economic opportunities. Its agro-allied potential is critical to our mission of linking Nigerian exporters with global markets.”
Reaffirming NPA’s commitment to trade facilitation, Dantsoho said, “As Nigeria’s leading trade gateway, the NPA remains dedicated to promoting efficiency in manufacturing, agriculture, and trade through digital transformation, aligning with this year’s fair theme.”
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