Stakeholders in the Maritime industry have called for the full deployment of Port Community Systems and the National Single Window to make Nigerian ports smarter, faster, cheaper and environmentally sustainable.
They said Nigerian ports must move beyond analogue operations and embrace digital technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, Big Data, blockchain and automation, to reduce vessel turnaround time, cargo dwell time, energy consumption and the cost of doing business.
Delivering a keynote lecture at the 5th Annual Lecture and Awards of Primetime Reporters, held in Lagos., Dr. Charles Okorefe, a lecturer from the Nigerian Maritime University Delta State, noted that the “Ports around the world are transiting from traditional analogue systems to digital ports, giving rise to the concept of smart ports,” Okorefe said. “Nigerian ports cannot be an exception to this rule.”
With the theme “Smarter Gateways, Greener Logistics: Leveraging Port Community System and National Single Window for Seamless Trade Flows,” Okorefe described ports as critical gateways that handle about 80 per cent of global trade by sea and connect national economies to international markets. He said their competitiveness now depends on their ability to adopt modern technologies and improve operational efficiency.
He cited the Port of Rotterdam, Port of Singapore, Yangshan Deep-Water Port in Shanghai and the Port of Houston as examples of ports using automation, digital twins, intelligent cranes, autonomous vehicles and real-time data systems to improve cargo delivery and vessel turnaround.
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Okorefe said such innovations enable ports to plan vessel berthing, cargo handling and container movement more efficiently, while sensors and automation improve visibility across terminal operations.
Green Technology
On greener logistics, Okorefe explained that it involves planning supply-chain and transport activities to reduce environmental impact without sacrificing efficiency.
He said this includes shorter delivery routes, fuel-efficient vehicles, electric or hybrid trucks, biofuels, recyclable packaging and optimised warehouse operations.
However, the keynote speaker noted that Nigeria’s port logistics system remains largely dependent on fossil fuels. According to him, while the rail system still relies on diesel locomotives, about 95 per cent of trucks used for cargo evacuation from Nigerian ports run on Automotive Gas Oil (AGO).
He argued that digital trade platforms could also support greener logistics by reducing unnecessary truck movements, repeated inspections, duplicated documentation and avoidable delays, all of which carry economic and environmental costs.
Okorefe described the National Single Window as a centralised digital platform that connects importers, exporters, government agencies and other trade stakeholders through one streamlined portal.
He said the platform would reduce multiple submissions, duplicated documentation, bureaucratic bottlenecks and unnecessary physical contact with officials, thereby improving transparency, accountability and cargo clearance.
Okorefe said the second phase, scheduled for November 2026, is expected to cover export processing, non-oil export licences, free-trade-zone permits, sea manifest submissions and performance-monitoring dashboards.
Port Community System
The maritime expert also explained that a Port Community System is a neutral digital platform connecting public and private stakeholders within a port ecosystem, including shipping lines, terminal operators, customs, port authorities, freight forwarders and importers.
Also, the National Coordinator of the National Single Window Secretariat, Mr. Tola Fakolade, represented by a Deputy Director at the Secretariat, Mr. Jude Oboh, said Single Window initiative was designed to simplify trade procedures, reduce cargo dwell time, eliminate unnecessary physical examinations and lower the cost of doing business in Nigeria.
He explained that the Federal Government’s directive was to reduce cargo clearance time to one day for both imports and exports, noting that prolonged cargo clearance had contributed significantly to the high cost of doing business in Nigeria.
According to him, the National Single Window seeks to address these challenges through a centralized digital platform that allows importers and exporters to submit documentation once, enabling relevant government agencies to access the information they require without repeatedly requesting the same documents.
