FG plans port facilities upgrade

The Federal Government has disclosed plans to upgrade port facilities to safeguard shipping and drive operational efficiency in the country’s maritime sector.

Speaking in Lagos recently at the 2024 World Maritime Day with the theme, ‘Navigating the Future: Safety First’, Gboyega Oyetola explained that increased investment in the sector would help Nigeria to build capacity and ensure the country remained competitive in the global seaborne trade.

Oyetola, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Michael Oloruntola, urged the stakeholders to re-examine the safety and security challenges that confront the maritime sector, particularly in the context of new technologies and alternative fuels that aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships.

According to the minister, the Federal Ministry of Marine & Blue Economy is taking proactive measures to enhance the maritime sector by embracing emerging technologies and fostering innovation to drive growth.

“Key among the initiatives of the ministry is digitalization and automation of port operations to enhance safety, security, and efficiency as well as a performance optimization to reduce costs and increase reliability, and the adoption of innovative practices to propel our industry towards sustainable development,” he said.

The former governor of Osun State maintained that President Bola Tinubu was investing heavily in port modernisation to reduce inefficiencies, lower operational costs, and improve safety in our ports.

He explained that the port upgrades were being financed through public-private partnership arrangements.

Oyetola said the government had also made significant progress in creating a conducive environment for port operations by aligning its policies with global best practices.

That, he said, had enhanced safety, security, and efficiency in the ports, leading to notable reductions in the delays associated with processing exports and imports.

Earlier, the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, said the authority was at conclusive stages of the deployment of the Port Community System.

According to Dantsoho, the PCS will set the pace for the operationalisation of the National Single Window Project by the government.

The NPA boss, who was represented by the Executive Director of Engineering & Technical Services, Engineer Ibrahim Umar, remarked that the maritime sector was not just pivotal to national economic prosperity but to global economic sustainability.

“Realising that automation is the linchpin of port efficiency. The Nigerian Ports Authority is at the conclusive stages of the deployment of the Port Community System, which sets the pace for the operationalisation of the National Single Window Project of the Federal Government.”

According to the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Marine Transport, Wasiu Sanni, safety is an imperative that requires national responses.

He noted that the National Assembly was committed to policies that would drive safe operations in the nation’s maritime sector.

He urged the agencies in the sector to ensure compliance with international safety conventions.

“Nigeria should let safety be the guiding principle that will position the country as a leading player in the global maritime community,” he added.