THE NPA, NPERA SYNERGY: NEED TO INTEGRATE MAN AND UNLOCK BLUE ECONOMY POTENTIALS

Following a Ministerial directive by the Minister, ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, management teams of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA and the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency, NPERA, met to discuss and harmonize operational modalities to ensure hitch free operation of Inland Dry Ports, IDPs, in Nigeria.

 

The ministerial directive followed the birthing of NPERA.

As the supreme regulatory Agency in the Nigerian ports industry-informed by ongoing economic reforms, it becomes expedient that NPERA be divested from continued operation and supervision of IDPs in Nigeria.

Speaking at the meeting, Dantsoho stressed the need to upgrade inland dry port infrastructure and technical capacity to complement ongoing modernisation efforts at the nation’s seaports.

Speaking at the meeting,   Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho stress said the facilities must be equipped to handle increasing cargo volumes and support the broader transformation of Nigeria’s maritime sector.

Dantsoho also stressed the need to upgrade inland dry port infrastructure and technical capacity to complement ongoing modernization efforts at the nation’s seaports.

Could Technical Capacity be achieved without inputs/training by the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, MAN?

According to NPA Chief Executive “For our Inland Dry Ports to function at the same velocity as the ongoing modernization across our seaports, we must proactively upgrade dry port infrastructure and technical capacity,” Dantsoho said.

It is our view that management  team of the Academy should have been at that meeting to share ideas and reach agreement with other Agencies under the Blue Economy ministry if ongoing reforms are to have long term impact.

Dr. Dantsoho was emphatic that integration of digital platforms, including the Port Community System (PCS) and the National Single Window, into seaport operations must be matched by corresponding improvements at inland dry ports.

His words “As we integrate digital systems such as the Port Community System (PCS) and the National Single Window in our seaports, the dry ports must deploy modern equipment and advanced technical capabilities to handle larger cargo volumes and bigger vessels coming to our coast”

To further strengthen the respective agencies and define areas of work/service and forestall friction the NPERA Director General Dr. Pius Akutah proposed the establishment of a Joint Inter-Agency Committee in the form of a Technical Working Group.

We gathered that the proposed committee would comprise representatives of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, NPA, NPERA, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).

The non-inclusion of MAN in this proposed synergy must be an oversight. Where NPA, NPERA, NIMASA, NIWA are gathered there MAN should be for completeness and all round synergy for the good of the industry.

Akutah expressed the view that the committee would identify and resolve potential operational conflicts, streamline administrative procedures and eliminate duplication of responsibilities in Inland Dry Port operations nationwide.

Again, not carrying MAN along in this arrangement amounts to either neglect or outright undermining of the critical training role of the Academy in Nigeria’s maritime industry.

Ongoing reforms meant to reposition Nigeria’s maritime industry should apportion responsibilities to all agencies under the Blue Economy ministry.

In recent events, plans and pronouncement by the Ministry, the Academy, with the critical mandate to build Capacity for personnel of the industry has not been well captured and articulated.

Efforts at digitization, automation and transition from the old to modern ways of sea ports operations will amount to naught if the Maritime Academy of Nigeria is not equipped and enabled to function effectively.