By Asiwaju Adekunle Saheed
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, has announced major reforms to Nigeria’s port sector following President Tinubu’s assent to the NPERA Act 2026, a move set to reshape how the country’s ports are regulated and run.
Under the reform, management of Inland Dry Ports has been transferred from the Nigerian Shippers’ Council to the Nigerian Ports Authority, while the Shippers’ Council itself will transition into the newly created Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency, known as NPERA.
A Ministerial Committee has been set up to oversee the transition, with the changes designed to separate regulation from operations for the first time in the sector’s history.
NPERA will now serve as the independent economic regulator, focusing on port charges, service standards, competition and dispute resolution, while the Nigerian Ports Authority handles the day to day running and integration of seaports and Inland Dry Ports.
Officials say the goal is to remove overlap, avoid conflict of interest and make the system more transparent for investors and port users navigating Nigeria’s maritime space.
For ordinary Nigerians, the reform is expected to translate into fairer port charges, faster cargo clearance and lower costs of goods, while also attracting fresh investment and allowing goods to be cleared closer to inland cities such as Ibadan and Kano.
In simple terms, the government says it is building a port system that is faster, cheaper and more competitive, as part of a broader push to grow Nigeria’s Blue Economy.
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