By Uzor Odigbo
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Customs Service ( NCS) are collaborating to introduce the Single Window (SW) platform at the ports.
This is in a bid to promote trade and commerce.
The two agencies, the Managing Director of NPA, Ms Hadiza Balla Usman, said, had embarked on the establishment of SW through an intense automation and introduction of Standard Operating Procedure ( SOP) at ports.
Ms Usman said the adoption of SW would make Nigeria’s ports competitive in the international trade network and boost the trade facilitation programme of the government.
During her visit to the Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), in Abuja Wednesday, Ms Usman said the synergy on SW would boost government revenue and promote Public Private Participation through the attraction of local and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
Government, she also said, was aware of its responsibilities to create the enabling business environment to realize the objective.
The Federal Government, Usman said, was determined to make the ports efficient, safe, secure, productive and eco-friendly practices of its operations, be it logistic or financial base.
NPA and Customs, she said, were the two arrow head agencies driving the logistics and financial portals on behalf of the government and that the duo had the responsibility to synergise and build up a common industry culture around the ports towards achieving the right level in trade facilitation.
“The goal of trade facilitation is to help trade across borders, import and export faster, cheaper and more predictable while ensuring its safety and security. Trade facilitation focuses on simplifying and harmonizing formalities, procedures and the related exchange of information and documents between the various partners in a supply chain”, she said.
Transparency, simplification, harmonization and standardisation of port operations, she added, could only be achieved by embarking on the establishment of a well-articulated single window system.
“I would therefore, urge us not to lose track as well as relentless commitment as to meet the target of Nigeria joining 20 other countries to be in the forefront of implementing an efficient, effective and sustainable single window in 2020,” she said.
Responding, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), said that the visit would lead to regular meetings and constant consultation between the two agencies.
The Nigeria Customs Service, Ali said, would assist in promoting the trade facilitation programme of the government through collaboration with sister-agencies and robust initiatives to promote business at ports.
The comptroller-general also promised to collaborate with the NPA to rejuvenate port operation and port security committees and ensure that the meetings were attended by senior officials of all the affected agencies and take responsibilities.
Meanwhile, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman, has said that training for maritime media would help to move the industry forward.
Bala spoke at a three-day workshop organised by the Nigerian Army School of Public Relations and Information (NASPRI) for maritime reporters in Lagos.
The NPA boss, who was represented at the event by Mrs Sarah Bala, Principal Manager, Public Affairs, NPA, said, “His is the second time of training journalists here, it will take us much higher than where we are”.
She also lauded the military for their good knowledge of public relations even as she expressed shock at the training school.
On his part, the Commandant of NASPRI, Brigadier General John Agim, while taking the participants on ‘When and why to bypass official sources of information’, he stated that for robust growth and market profitability, the media should be fair and objective in its reportage.
He added that news report should be based on factual reportage because of the fragile nature of the maritime industry even as he maintained that the industry was able to generate about N7 trillion enough to service 2017 budgets.
“Maritime has a potential of making N7 trillion annually which is enough to finance 2017 budget.
“News report should be based on factual, balanced and fair reportage.
“Nigerian maritime is still fragile, activities and information that threaten prospects or robust growth and market profitability is a serious disservice to the nation.
“Maritime stakeholders need timely and convincing information that will enable them take profitable business decisions, do not for little gains write stories that will set us backward,” he maintained.