General
NPA Targets Functional Digital Ports by 2025
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has begun deliberate measures and investments for a fully digital ecosystem across the country by 2025.
This was disclosed by the Acting Managing Director, Mr Mohammed Bello-Koko, at the 41st Ports Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) Annual Council Meeting and 16th Round-table Conference of Managing Directors of PMAWCA in Douala, Cameroon.
He stressed that as the international supply chain battles several disruptions, the agency would focus on port smartness level than its size, in order to optimise productivity and meet users’ expectations.
In his presentation on Digitalisation Roadmap and Current Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Implementation Status, Mr Bello-Koko stated that “at NPA, our goal is to leverage on technology to close the gap between us and the major international ports.”
He noted that “a digitalised port helps in making better informed operational decisions, increase efficiency, improve collaboration among stakeholders, lower port costs and ultimately help to meet the ever-increasing customer expectations in a timely manner.”
The NPA MD, who was represented at the forum by the Executive Director, Engineering and Technical Services, Mr Idris Abubakar, disclosed that the NPA was currently implementing a five-year plan for a fully digitalised port system in Nigeria, and has so far deployed a portfolio of systems and infrastructure towards the actualisation of its ICT objectives.
These include Oracle Enterprise Business Suite for financial and human resources planning, Billing/Revenue and Invoice Management System (RIMS) to fast-track billing processing, Customer Portal/electronic Ship Entry Notice (eSEN)/Manifest Upload for shipping traffic management and Hyperion Budgeting for management of the annual budget.
Others are the Command, Control, Communication and Intelligence System (3Ci) for maritime domain awareness and management of vessel calls, Truck Call-up and Gate Access Control for the control and scheduling of trucks to the ports as well as to manage truck traffic around the port corridor.
He explained that should the target be actualised on the set date, it would be exactly 50 years after Nigeria first deployed the main computer system (in 1975) to improve its payroll management, billing, statistical and accounting systems.
He noted that since 1975 when NPA first deployed the main computer system to improve its payroll management, billing, statistical and accounting systems, a lot of work has gone into its smart port transformation agenda aimed at bringing about paperless, time-saving and cost-efficient port operations.
He explained that from 1992, the deployment of personal computers was done at each port location to ease data management, while information sharing remained difficult due to the absence of connectivity between the ports, he added.
Then in 2011, the agency reviewed its ICT strategy in line with its new role as landlord, following the concession of port terminals in 2006, with a focus on enterprise computing and heavy dependence on network infrastructure, along with a centralised and shared database.
Its adoption of a phased ICT deployment is geared towards achieving a fully integrated port operating system to foster relationships with all internal and external stakeholders, streamline NPA’s internal business processes, use high-end smart technologies, as well as record, monitor and utilise data for better decision making.
On his part, the President of PMAWCA and Director-General of Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), Mr Michael Luguje, said the digitised model was very relevant because more than ever, COVID-19 has brought its importance.
“Within a space of time, the dynamics with regards to world trade and our ways of life can change dramatically.
“The impact of COVID-19 cannot be swept under the carpet so easily. Countries are now rebuilding after many years of economic progress has been wiped off.
“As leaders in the maritime field entrusted with the responsibilities of facilitating trade and economic progress for our respective countries, we are here for serious discussion on how we can continue to adjust in the face of this unwavering virus, and how to plan and operate our ports to meet future challenges.
“The main aim is to explore diverse ways of using less to achieve more through the use of smart technologies.”
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has confirmed the collapse of five transmission towers along the Ikot Abasi–Eket 132kV Double Circuit Transmission Line.
This was attributed to severe acts of vandalism, as TCN disclosed that the structure collapsed after vandals removed critical structural bracing members.
The affected towers were N9, J4, N10, N11 and N12, the organisation said in a statement on Friday.
It explained that the extensive damage was discovered during a routine joint line patrol conducted on August 9, 2026, by TCN linesmen.
Further inspection revealed that structural members from seven additional towers along the same transmission corridor had also been removed and stolen. The towers, J3, N8, N13, N14, N15, N18 and N19, are now structurally compromised and pose a risk of further collapse.
TCN condemned this act of sabotage and reiterated its commitment to working hard to maintain a robust and reliable national grid.
The statement said that to mitigate the impact on electricity supply, the network has been reconfigured to prioritise supply to Ekim transmission station, leaving Ibom Power as the only station without supply.
TCN said it is mobilising an urgent intervention to complete the reconstruction of the affected sections of the line, with security agencies also notified to aid investigations and prevent further acts of vandalism along the line route.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Tajudeen Abbas, has urged all relevant government agencies to promptly initiate actions for the full implementation of the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency Act, 2026, following its signing into law by President Bola Tinubu.
The bill, sponsored by Speaker Abbas, was aimed at repealing the Nigerian Shippers’ Council Act, Cap. N133, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and establish the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency to ensure effective economic regulation of Nigerian ports while safeguarding the interests of shippers, service providers, and users of regulated port services. With the President’s assent, it has now been enacted as an Act of Parliament.
The legislation represents one of the landmark achievements of the 10th National Assembly. It reflects the Speaker’s commitment to legislative excellence, institutional reform, and sustainable economic growth, according to a press statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Speaker, Mr Musa Krishi.
The bill underwent a rigorous and inclusive legislative process, including extensive stakeholder consultations and a public hearing. It was passed by both Chambers of the National Assembly and subsequently assented to by the President.
The Act provides a robust legal and institutional framework to ensure effective economic regulation of Nigerian ports by fostering transparency, competitiveness, and efficiency in port operations; protecting the rights and interests of shippers, service providers, and other port users; and aligning Nigeria’s port regulatory system with global best practices, thereby enhancing the ease and cost-effectiveness of doing business.
Despite receiving presidential assent, the Act has yet to be fully operationalised.
He warned that any further delay would undermine the legislative intent of the reform, prolong the exposure of port users to arbitrary charges and operational inefficiencies, and deny the nation the anticipated benefits of increased revenue, improved trade facilitation, and stronger investor confidence in the marine and blue economy sector.
The Speaker urged the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, in collaboration with all relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the federal government, to take the necessary administrative, institutional, and financial measures for the prompt implementation of the Act.
He said this should include the formal transition to, as well as operational empowerment of, the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency to discharge its statutory mandate effectively.
The full implementation of the Act is critical to unlocking the economic potential of Nigeria’s ports, reducing the cost of doing business, strengthening trade competitiveness, and positioning Nigeria as the leading maritime and logistics hub in West and Central Africa.
The statement noted that the Speaker reaffirmed the 10th House’s commitment to exercising the necessary legislative oversight to ensure this landmark legislation, along with others assented to by the President, is fully implemented and achieves its intended goals for the benefit of the Nigerian people.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Federal Ministry of Youth Development (FMYD), through the Nigerian Youth Academy (NiYA), has partnered with Cascador, a Nigeria-focused platform for growth-stage founders, to provide funding and support for the next generation of Nigerian youth entrepreneurs.
The announcement coincides with International Youth Day 2026, whose global theme this year — Different Contexts, Common Aspirations — calls on institutions to close the gap between young people’s circumstances and their opportunities. The pilot is an early step toward NiYA’s broader ambition to train and empower 7 million Nigerian youth within two years.
The NiYA and Cascador Founders Programme will begin with a pilot cohort of 20 early-stage Nigerian youth founders, including entrepreneurs without formal business registration or established financial records.
Over four weeks, participants will undergo intensive training focused on business fundamentals, investment readiness and pitch preparation. At the end of the programme, the eight top-performing founders will receive non-dilutive funding of up to N5 million each from Cascador, alongside an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution to help them structure, manage and scale their businesses.
The funding and support will be presented at a Pitch Day organised by NiYA and the Federal Ministry of Youth Development.
The Minister for Youth Development, Mr s Ayodele Olawande, said the partnership would enable NiYA to move beyond training by helping young people transform ideas into investable businesses and achieve sustainable economic participation through business preparation and access to capital.
“The pilot is deliberately designed to test a model that can go beyond one cohort. If young founders can be identified early, prepared properly, connected to credible capital and supported to build stronger business systems, then access to opportunity becomes less dependent on background or existing networks. That is the larger objective: to build a youth entrepreneurship ecosystem in which readiness, ideas and execution can increasingly determine who gets the opportunity to grow.”
The pilot will run in-person in Abuja with virtual touchpoints and 1:1 mentorship. All 20 graduates retain NiYA alumni status, with priority consideration for future opportunities.
NiYA and FMYD have already shown what real commitment to Nigeria’s youth looks like — the platforms, the reach, the ambition to train millions. What we’re building together now is the missing piece, a practical bridge from the ideation stage to real capital-readiness. When a Ministry so dedicated to its young people asked Cascador to help build that bridge, it was an easy decision,” said Trish Thomas, CEO of Cascador.
Ms Oyin Solebo, COO of Cascador and former Managing Director of the ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator, highlighted the partnership’s impact, saying, “This is what innovative capital deployment looks like: a government building real investment readiness at scale, and a partner meeting that foundational work with non-dilutive funding at exactly the moment it’s needed. Partnerships like this open doors that neither of us could open alone.”
