Oyetola receives Port Community System implementation report

From left, Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola; receiving the Port Community System (PCS) report from Secretary-General, International Port Community System Association (IPCSA), Mr Nico De Cauwer Arthur (Middle) and Managing Director/CEO Nigerian Ports Authority (Right), Mohammed Bello-Koko, in Abuja on Tuesday

The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola formally received the consultant’s report for the implementation of Nigerian Port Community System from the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the International Port Community Systems Association (IPCSA) on Tuesday in Abuja.

The purpose of the PCS is primarily for Nigeria to comply with the dictates of the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL) of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), whose main objectives are to prevent unnecessary delays in maritime traffic, to aid cooperation between governments, and to secure the highest practicable degree of uniformity in formalities and other procedures.

The FAL Convention of April 2019 made it mandatory for ships and ports to exchange FAL declarations electronically preparatory to the enforcement of the single window approach in 2024.

Speaking during the event, Oyetola said: “On behalf of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy and indeed the Government of Nigeria, I would like to register our profound delight on this milestone step towards implementation of the Port Community System (PCS) in Nigeria which is geared towards positioning the good people of Nigeria to reap the benefits of global trade.”

Commenting further, the Honourable Minister said, “I would like to commend the current Management of the Nigerian Ports Authority under the leadership of Mohammed Bello Koko for the tenacity of purpose and foresight to enlist the technical guidance of the IMO which led to appointment of a consultant in 2022 and whose relentless drive propelled us to the milestone point we gathered here to witness today.

Realising the importance of the implementation of the PCS on the fulfilment of the overarching objectives of the Renewed Hope Agenda, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu included the implementation of the Port Community System as a Key Performance Indicator for the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy under the Presidential Performance Bond I signed as Minister.”

The submission of the consultant’s report is a culmination of the intensified synergy between the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) under whose technical guidance this milestone was recorded.

Speaking during the occasion, Managing Director/CEO Nigerian Ports Authority, Mohammed Bello Koko said “cognizant of the self-evident fact that automation remains the most sustainable path to making our ports competitive, we were duty bound to infuse greater vigour into the implementation of the PCS which by its operational dynamics eliminates all forms of human interface and attendant delays that undermine the efficiency of our ports.

“So we intensified our synergy with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) for the technical guidance necessary to actualise the PCS which actually lays the groundwork for the implementation of the National Single Window.

“Our efforts paid off, and by May 2022 we had the first in-country visit of the IMO consultants. By August 2023, we had contracted the International Port Community Systems Association (IPCSA) to provide the “Consultancy Services for Technical Assistance in the Development of Port Community System for (PCS) for Nigeria, Mohammed Bello Koko assured the Minister of the diligence, determination and discipline required to make the implementation of this project of national importance a reality.

It will be recalled that the NPA Managing Director had recently sought and secured the buy-in of the Comptroller-General of Nigerian Customs, Mr Adewale Bashir Adeniyi for the implementation of the PCS.

These developments signpost better days ahead for ease of doing business and trade facilitation in Nigeria.