The Nigerian Federal Government has urged for interventions in the realm of cargo evacuation at African ports to address major challenges.

President Bola Tinubu made this call during the 43rd annual council meeting of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa, held in Lagos on Monday.

The meeting revolved around the theme, ‘The Role of Ports in the African Continental Free Trade Area,’ and President Tinubu, represented by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, emphasized the significance of seamless cargo evacuation as a critical challenge faced by ports across the continent.

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Tinubu noted, “After the issues of adequate security and transparency, one other important factor deciding the competitiveness of ports is the seamlessness and efficiency with which cargoes are evacuated to and from the ports.

This, without doubt, is an area in which port operations in Africa need a lot of intervention.”

The president disclosed ongoing discussions between Nigeria and other African countries regarding the necessity to invest in port infrastructure to support trade facilitation.

He emphasized that meetings like the one held serve as platforms to generate ideas that can aid national governments in formulating effective policies.

Tinubu underlined the importance of full automation in addressing these challenges and enhancing the efficiency of port operations.

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He stated, “As a government that believes in the necessity of infusing information technology into public management to aid transparency and ease business processes, we are giving the Nigerian Ports Authority all the backing necessary to fast track the operationalization of the port community system, which is a precursor to the implementation of the National Single Window.

Because we are persuaded that full automation is the only way to go if we plan to remain competitive in the global maritime industry.”