Chairman of Flour Mills Group, John Coumantaros, has lauded the investor-friendly policies of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, describing them as instrumental in attracting private sector investments into the maritime sector.
Coumantaros made this remark during a discussion with the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho.
Their conversation focused on process improvement, increased investment in infrastructure, and the modernisation of Nigerian ports to secure a larger market share in global trade.
Reaffirming the administration’s commitment to fostering a business-friendly environment, Coumantaros, emphasised the importance of continued infrastructure investment to enhance port efficiency.
Dantsoho, in response, commended the Federal Government’s commitment to port rehabilitation, particularly highlighting the efforts of the Minister for Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola.
“Let me seize this opportunity to commend the Honourable Minister for Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for securing FEC’s approval for the commencement of actual works for the reconstruction of Tin Can Island and rehabilitation of challenged aspects of Apapa Port Complexes,” Dantsoho stated.
He further stressed that these positive developments, along with the Federal Government’s approval of the National Single Window (NSW) project, signal the country’s readiness to accommodate larger cargo carriers, which is crucial for economic growth.
“These positive developments coinciding with the Federal Government’s approval of the National Single Window (NSW) project signpost Nigeria’s readiness to berth large cargo carriers commensurate with the size of Nigeria’s population,” he added.
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Dantsoho’s visit was part of NPA’s ongoing efforts to ensure the seamless flow of traffic around the Apapa and Tin Can Island Port Complexes while reinforcing the truck call-up system. Speaking during the spot check, he underlined the agency’s commitment to continuous improvement.
“Such unscheduled visits, which will be frequent, are motivated by our continuous improvement paradigm,” he said.
He reiterated that resolving traffic congestion remains a top priority, promising direct oversight to ensure accountability.
“Although I have tasked the Port Managers to urgently resolve the areas of concern raised by the trucking and freight forwarding community, I will continuously follow up directly to ensure compliance and measurable results,” Dantsoho assured.
Highlighting the NPA’s strategic approach, he stressed the need for multimodal evacuation systems, including the use of barges and rail, to decongest the roads.
“Traffic management efficiency is a deliverable that we take very seriously, which is why beyond optimising the electronic call-up (ETO), we are working assiduously towards multimodal means of evacuation through barges and the rail lines. Specifically, we will work with Nigeria Customs to relocate the scanner sited on the rail line link in Apapa to facilitate seamless evacuation,” he noted.
Dantsoho further emphasiaed the necessity of maintaining an efficient and globally competitive port system.
“The port access road is an international corridor, so we have zero tolerance for traffic clogs that cause congestion. The automated access gates must work, and we must shorten the SOPs to align with the necessity for quick transaction turnaround to remain competitive—first with our peers in the region and internationally,” he added.
