NPERA commits to curbing avoidable costs, cargo clearance delays at Nigerian ports

The Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA) has pledged to use evidence-based regulation and stakeholder engagement to eliminate avoidable logistics costs, lower the cost of trade, and streamline cargo clearance operations across Nigeria’s ports.

Akutah Pius Ukeyima, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NPERA, stated this on Friday during his goodwill address at the Nigerian Transport Summit 2026, held at Providence Hotel, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.

Speaking on the theme “Navigating Global Disruptions and the Road Ahead: Mobility, Energy and Trade Facilitation for a Resilient Future,” Akutah stressed that trade bottlenecks, unpredictable port charges, and fragmented infrastructure continue to harm the country’s commercial competitiveness.

“Through effective stakeholder engagement, appropriate regulatory measures and evidence-based decision-making, NPERA is committed to supporting a port system that reduces avoidable costs, improves operational efficiency, encourages fair competition and strengthens Nigeria’s position as a competitive maritime and trade destination,” Akutah said.

Highlighting the economic impact of logistics challenges, Akutah noted that seamless trade facilitation is indispensable to national growth.

“Delays in cargo clearance, excessive or unpredictable charges, inadequate infrastructure and weak coordination among stakeholders can increase logistics costs and undermine the competitiveness of Nigerian businesses,” he warned.

To address these hurdles, the NPERA chief emphasised that economic regulation must protect the commercial interests of all operators—including importers, exporters, shipping companies, and freight forwarders—while fostering predictable investment conditions.

“Effective economic regulation is essential to ensuring that charges are reasonable, service delivery is efficient, stakeholders are treated fairly and the interests of port users are adequately protected within the applicable regulatory framework,” he explained.

Addressing the systemic challenges beyond maritime gates, Akutah urged federal authorities and private operators to accelerate integration across roads, rail lines, and inland waterways.

“The development of an efficient transport system cannot be achieved through ports and roads alone. It requires effective integration of road, rail, inland waterways and other transport modes to facilitate the seamless movement of cargo from the ports to inland markets and production centres,” Akutah noted.

He added that dry ports and supporting transit infrastructures play a strategic role in expanding access for hinterland businesses, provided connection bottlenecks are resolved.

“We must therefore continue to address bottlenecks affecting rail freight services, road transport costs, cargo documentation, shipping arrangements and the effective utilisation of inland transport infrastructure,” he urged.

Concluding his address at the summit—organised by JustAlive Communications Limited- Akutah called for multi-agency cooperation and rapid adoption of digital solutions to drive long-term resilience across the transport supply chain.

“The challenges facing Nigeria’s transport sector are interconnected and cannot be resolved by any single institution. They require a coordinated approach involving government ministries and agencies, regulatory bodies, infrastructure providers, transport operators, investors and the business community,” he declared.

“As we pursue these objectives, we must also embrace innovation, digitalisation, environmental sustainability and international best practices, while ensuring that our policies and regulatory interventions respond to Nigeria’s peculiar economic and operational realities,” Akutah stated.