The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Abubakar Dantsoho, has reaffirmed the authority ‘s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s non-oil export sector through streamlined port operations and improved port–hinterland connectivity.
Dantsoho said this a statement through the General Manager, Corporate Communication and Strategy of NPA, Mr Okechukwu Onyemekara in Lagos on Thursday.
Dantsoho lauded the Kano Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KACCIMA) for sustaining the fair’s reputation as a global business hub.
He said Kano’s strategic position as a major commercial centre linking Nigeria to the northern hinterland and neighbouring landlocked countries, presented enormous economic opportunities.
According to him, Kano’s rich agro-allied potential aligns with the NPA’s drive to connect local producers to international markets, particularly within the non-oil value chain.
Dantsoho highlighted several reforms introduced by the authority to enhance Nigeria’s export competitiveness, including the establishment of Export Processing Terminals (EPTs).
He said that EPT was designed as one-stop facilities for consolidation, documentation, packaging, certification and onward movement of export goods to the ports.
The NPA boss explained that EPTs was developed in collaboration with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and other partners, to eliminate bottlenecks that previously hindered the seamless export of Nigerian products by reducing duplication and bureaucratic delays.
He also announced ongoing efforts to eliminate human interface in port processes by fully automating operations through the Ports Community System (PCS), a precursor to the National Single Window (NSW).
He explained that the NSW represented global best practice for integrating all stakeholders in the trade value chain on a single digital platform.
Dantsoho said the reforms reflected the authority’s resolution to link value creators in the remotest parts of Nigeria to global markets with minimal friction.
He urged traders and investors participating in the fair to engage with the NPA’s business development team at the agency’s pavilion and explore the opportunities available through its real-time digital platforms.
“To empower Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in line with the theme of this year’s fair, we are aggressively simplifying export procedures to ensure made-in-Nigeria goods moved through our ports as smoothly as possible.
Our doors are always open for partnerships beyond this fair,” he said.
