FG Set to Inaugurate Ports, Customs Efficiency Committee

FG Set to Inaugurate Ports, Customs Efficiency Committee

The Federal Government, through the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), is set to inaugurate the Ports and Customs Efficiency Committee (PCEC), on Thursday.

The inauguration, to be chaired by the Vice-President, Sen. Kashim Shettima, will hold at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) headquarters, Lagos.

The Managing Director of NPA, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, made this known in a statement through the General Manager, Corporate Communications, NPA,  Ikechukwu Onyemekara, and made available to newsmen yesterday in Lagos.

Dantsoho said PCEC comprised over 50 heads of government agencies and private sector and captains of industries, cutting across gamut of value chains that contribute significantly to Nigeria’s economic growth.

“The PCEC is a multi-stakeholder (public/private sector) initiative aimed at infusing greater efficiency and improved service delivery within the Nigeria’s ports and customs sector.

“Its overarching objective is to identify gaps and implement solutions to enhance the ease of doing business.

“This will be achieved by reducing inefficiencies that impede trade facilitation and slow the pace of national economic prosperity.

“The quick wins expected from the PCEC include improved efficiency and reduced cargo dwell time.

“It is also to enhance transparency and accountability in port operations, better coordination among stakeholders and improved customer-centric focus.

Dantsoho expressed delight at hosting what he described as “this all-important collaborative process-improvement meeting.”

He said that the programme is in tandem with their efforts at eliminating bottlenecks and bursting red tapes on the path of trade facilitation.