As Nigeria aims for more seamless and sustainable port operations, Webb Fontaine Nigeria has emphasised the vital role the Port Community System (PCS) can play in aiding smooth 24-hour functionality.
Speaking during the 5th edition of the JournalNG Port Industry Town Hall Meeting in Lagos State, the company’s Operations Director, Vlad Ionescu, revealed that there is an obvious need for a partnership between government and private sector players to take our port operations to the next level.
According to him, Webb Fontaine Nigeria should be commended for its role in leveraging tech to challenge the ineffective norms and improve trade facilitation all over the world. He said that the company’s innovative strides are already helping nations revamp their trade processes, thereby guaranteeing seamless business operations.
“The Port Community System is a platform that brings together all the actors working inside the ports. Essentially, it provides a single point of entry for all necessary documents, which are then dispatched to the relevant agencies,” Vlad said.
Installation Manager at Webb Fontaine Nigeria, Lanre Balogun, further broke down the fact that the Port Community System (PCS) has been very instrumental in fostering seamless data exchanges among different port authorities, customs, and terminal operators.
He believes his company deserves lots of praise for providing crucial benefits with PCS, including, full paperless process, quick cargo transit times, improved transparency, and traceable operations, which crucially help with streamlining port activities and aiding its efficiency.
“All port processes under the Webb Ports regime enjoy rapid processing, from electronic manifest declarations to electronic payment of duties and fees. The system also optimises logistics, reduces physical contact, and cuts down the cost of doing business,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, also had his say at the recently inaugurated Ports and Customs Efficiency Committee’s event. Speaking, Abubakar said that NPA is currently working in tandem with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to deploy PCS as a key element of the National Single Window (NSW).
“The Port Community System is a precursor to the National Single Window. The Port Community System cannot succeed unless all stakeholders come together. By reducing paper transactions, we will save money, increase capacity, and boost revenue,” he added.
As the Port Community System’s popularity continues to rise, it is undoubtedly about to play a major role in transforming Nigeria’s port ecosystem into what will be able to compete with more established ports in the near future.
Folami David writes on trends and pop culture. He is a creative writer, and he is passionate about music and football.
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