The Institute of Marine and Offshore Nigeria (IMION) has urged the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA) to deploy a port single window.

The institute made the call on Wednesday at the closing of its three-day executive course in Lagos on logistics and trade facilitation.

The course was with the theme ‘Logistics and Trade Facilitation for Blue Economy Growth’.

IMION said policies must translate into practical action to improve safety, attract investment and enhance service delivery across ports and offshore operations.

Obiora Madu, director-general, African Centre for Supply Chain Management, said regulators, customs, terminals and transport operators must operate through one seamless trade flow.

Mr Madu said multiple agencies with legitimate mandates often create duplication, conflicting requirements, repeated inspections and unclear accountability.

He said such fragmentation increased the cost of doing business in Nigerian ports and undermined trade competitiveness.

Mr Madu urged NPERA to resolve conflicts arising from overlapping mandates, stressing that “good laws produce bad outcomes without coordination”.

He added that traders deserved “one data submission and one inspection” to reduce delays and improve efficiency.

Mr Madu called for clear key performance indicators for agencies and users, with customer experience serving as the ultimate measure.

He said the indicators should track time, cost and predictability across port processes.

Mr Madu advocated trade simplification through digitisation, transparent documentation and predictable cargo release.

He asked whether reforms had actually reduced trading time and costs for businesses operating across Nigeria’s ports.

Mr Madu said businesses should know requirements, costs, timelines and appeal channels upfront to improve certainty and accountability.

He said modern inspection should rely on intelligence, risk management and technology rather than excessive bureaucracy.

Mr Madu warned that technology should “reduce friction, not digitise bureaucracy”, saying uncoordinated controls could worsen delays and increase costs.

He said additional controls without proper coordination could create opportunities for corruption and undermine the benefits of digitalisation.

Mr Madu said infrastructure alone could not move trade, as slow and fragmented procedures could erode value in spite of available ports, roads, railways and vessels.

He said trade facilitation should make legitimate trade faster, cheaper and more transparent without compromising regulatory requirements.

According to him, efficient trade processes would support growth, investment and improved cash flow for businesses.

Also speaking, Eugene Itua of the Africa Green Economy and Sustainability Initiative said sustainability and risk management must balance economic efficiency.

He said they must also promote environmental protection and social equity across blue economy logistics.

Mr Itua said Nigeria’s maritime competitiveness would depend on smarter compliance and stronger collaboration among government agencies.

He added that a skilled workforce would be essential to harness emerging opportunities in offshore operations and logistics. 

(NAN)