Bello Koko : Transforming Nigerian Ports through Reconstruction, Digitalization
BELLO KOKO, MD, NPA
By Shola Fadeyi
The dire need to ensure that Nigeria takes up its natural position as a maritime hub ,for countries in West and Central Africa, by making the nation’s Seaports to be modern and more efficient ,in their operations , offer more quality services to port users , has been the major focus of the Muhammed Bello Koko-led management of the Nigerian Ports Authority(NPA).
This is why , sequel to the kick off ,of commercial operations, by the Lekki Deep Seaport and the various reforms that have been engendered by the current NPA management, he has ensured that some countries in the West and Central African sub region are set to start using Nigerian seaports , particularly Lekki Port, as a transshipment base for their imports.
Consequently, the achievements, which the management has recorded so far in the area of its quest for the total rehabilitation or reconstruction and automation of the Nigerian Ports, have been due to the great emphasis, which Bello Koko has placed on the transformation of the operation s of the Ports , since he became the Acting Managing Director of the NPA, in May 2021 .
Thus, it is in his quest to achieve the type of seaports , which infrastructure will be standard and modern and which operations would be highly information technology (ICT) driven , that the NPA management resolved that it requires a total sum of $800 million to fund the total rehabilitation and automation of some of the Ports.
The fund is to be used specifically for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the infrastructure of the Tin Can berths 4 to 14 in Apapa, Calabar , Onne Ports ,the Warri Port Jetties, rehabilitation of the Escravos breakwaters, as well as the upgrade of the digitalization of the processes and operations of the seaports.
Among other international lending institutions , which the NPA management considered for the loan facility, it seemed to have opted for the African Export- Import Bank(AFREXIM) with , which it has been in discussion, and very hopeful to secure the loan
However, as the loan is being awaited to finance the total rehabilitation and digitalization projects, the management has been providing vital facilities and equipment, required for the provision of improved services to port users ,as well as carry out some rehabilitation works, in the seaports under the NPA’s control in the West and Eastern parts of the country.
In Lagos, it has completed the projects on the modernization of Control Towers at Lagos Port Complex and Tin Can Island Port as well as inaugurated the project ; installed over 180
Marine Fenders on all Quays Authority Wide for safe berthing; Installation of Buoys at Ijegun/Kirikiri water channel and licensing and Upgrading of Pilots across the four Pilotage District.
The management has likewise acquired many Harbour Crafts (Tugboats, Pilot Cutters) . For instance , as part of its enhancement of the capacity and efficiency of the Lekki Deep Seaport, and the Ports in Lagos , the management just procured state of the art 80 Ton Bollard Pull Tugboats to complement its existing fleet of tugs.
It also purchased Patrol Boats, licensed additional truck parks , a development that has increased the capacity of truck parks servicing the Lagos Ports while it licensed 10 Export Processing Terminals , thus facilitating exports at the Nigerian Sea Ports as most of the terminals are already fully operational.
In the Eastern Ports, vital things necessary for effective port operation lacking, the NPA management has achieved a lot in this area. They include; the survey and Mapping of the Fairway Buoy up to Warri-Sapele-Koko Ports to the prescribed standards of the UKHO Charts; increase Container holding capacity at Rivers Port arising from conversion of unused space within PTOL Terminal into stacking area;
The NPA management has upgraded the infrastructure at Terminal ‘B’, Berth 7 and 8, Onne Port Complex based on Messrs WACT Nigeria Limited proposal for investment exceeding $110 million over a period of two years and completed the construction of 6,000 metric tonnes Bitumen Tank in Rivers Port Complex .
This has gone ahead to improve the company’s bitumen storage capacity , ease its operations and impacted on the infrastructural development of the South-South. The Authority has also granted approval for the completion of Road Network for the integration of Berth 9,10, &11 at Federal Ocean Terminal, Onne Port, thus boosting the Port operations, while it has installed 86 Buoys for Warri and Calabar Pilotage Districts.
The Bello Koko’s management is also set to award the contract for rehabilitation Escravos breakwaters sequel to the completion of consultancy services for the shore protection and rehabilitation of the breakwaters by Royal Haskoning.This is when the facility has been left to rot for several years.
But as it concerns the full automation of the ports operations in the country , the current management has since its inception adopted deliberate measures of undertaking investments , with a view to creating , a fully digital ecosystem in all the port locations by 2025.
This is hinged on its conviction that a digitalized port helps in making better informed operational decisions, increases efficiency, improves collaboration amongst stakeholders,
Ijegun/Kirikiri water channel and licensing and Upgrading of Pilots across the four Pilotage District.
The management has likewise acquired many Harbour Crafts (Tugboats, Pilot Cutters) . For instance , as part of its enhancement of the capacity and efficiency of the Lekki Deep Seaport, and the Ports in Lagos , the management just procured state of the art 80 Ton Bollard Pull Tugboats to complement its existing fleet of tugs.
It also purchased Patrol Boats, licensed additional truck parks , a development that has increased the capacity of truck parks servicing the Lagos Ports while it licensed 10 Export Processing Terminals , thus facilitating exports at the Nigerian Sea Ports as most of the terminals are already fully operational.
In the Eastern Ports, vital things necessary for effective port operation lacking, the NPA management has achieved a lot in this area. They include; the survey and Mapping of the Fairway Buoy up to Warri-Sapele-Koko Ports to the prescribed standards of the UKHO Charts; increase Container holding capacity at Rivers Port arising from conversion of unused space within PTOL Terminal into stacking area;
The NPA management has upgraded the infrastructure at Terminal ‘B’, Berth 7 and 8, Onne Port Complex based on Messrs WACT Nigeria Limited proposal for investment exceeding $110 million over a period of two years and completed the construction of 6,000 metric tonnes Bitumen Tank in Rivers Port Complex .
This has gone ahead to improve the company’s bitumen storage capacity , ease its operations and impacted on the infrastructural development of the South-South. The Authority has also granted approval for the completion of Road Network for the integration of Berth 9,10, &11 at Federal Ocean Terminal, Onne Port, thus boosting the Port operations, while it has installed 86 Buoys for Warri and Calabar Pilotage Districts.
The Bello Koko’s management is also set to award the contract for rehabilitation Escravos breakwaters sequel to the completion of consultancy services for the shore protection and rehabilitation of the breakwaters by Royal Haskoning.This is when the facility has been left to rot for several years.
But as it concerns the full automation of the ports operations in the country , the current management has since its inception adopted deliberate measures of undertaking investments , with a view to creating , a fully digital ecosystem in all the port locations by 2025.
This is hinged on its conviction that a digitalized port helps in making better informed operational decisions, increases efficiency, improves collaboration amongst stakeholders, and lower port costs as well as assist to meet the ever increasing customer expectations in a timely manner.
This is why the Bello Koko- led management has already gone deep, into the process of deploying at the Ports, before the end of this 2023 , what is called the Ports Community System(PCS), which is an electronic platform , that will link all the stakeholders in the Port system for purpose of communication and enhancement of delivery and clearing of goods.
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) , which is the Consultant to the NPA ,has paid the fees to the technical consultant on the project for the first and second phases, as it offered to do, while the project is set to enter the third stage.
Already, in the first and second stages of the project , the NPA has been able to get the stakeholders in the maritime industry, from the shipping lines to the freight forwarders, terminal operators, users of the ports, Standards Organisation of Nigeria(SON), among others to deliberate with the technical consultant with a view to bringing them all to the Platform.
Consequently, the consultant has studied what each one of the aforementioned agencies has in place in terms of IT deployment and automation, while in the next stage , which is the third stage , it will do an analysis of what is needed to be able to deploy the PCS.
Invariably, the plan of the NPA management is for the PCS to serve as a catalyst for the National Single Window, which is a Platform that is superior to the PCS and which enables trade facilitation and speeds up the processes of documentation for importers and exporters .
It is also commendable that the management has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) for data digitalization and exchange for effective integration of Ports statistics with National Database and upgrading of Website and Daily Shipping Position Portal.
However , beyond , the deployment of the PCS, the authority has been focusing on the smartness level of the port, rather than the size of the port , to enthrone paperless, time-saving and cost-efficient port operations, but the Bello Koko ‘s leadership should be lauded for the improvement it has effected in this area.
Thus , it is expected that the rehabilitation and the digitalization measures would make the infrastructure of the nation’s seaports to be modern , enhance their operations and processes, and their potentials , to serve as effective feeders, for the Lekki Deep Seaport , and thereby , make Nigeria a true hub in West and Central Africa.
*Fadeyi , Publisher, Marine & Economy
The dire need to ensure that Nigeria takes up its natural position as a maritime hub ,for countries in West and Central Africa, by making the nation’s Seaports to be modern and more efficient ,in their operations , offer more quality services to port users , has been the major focus of the Muhammed Bello Koko-led management of the Nigerian Ports Authority(NPA).
This is why , sequel to the kick off ,of commercial operations, by the Lekki Deep Seaport and the various reforms that have been engendered by the current NPA management, he has ensured that some countries in the West and Central African sub region are set to start using Nigerian seaports , particularly Lekki Port, as a transshipment base for their imports.
Consequently, the achievements, which the management has recorded so far in the area of its quest for the total rehabilitation or reconstruction and automation of the Nigerian Ports, have been due to the great emphasis, which Bello Koko has placed on the transformation of the operation s of the Ports , since he became the Acting Managing Director of the NPA, in May 2021 .
Thus, it is in his quest to achieve the type of seaports , which infrastructure will be standard and modern and which operations would be highly information technology (ICT) driven , that the NPA management resolved that it requires a total sum of $800 million to fund the total rehabilitation and automation of some of the Ports.
The fund is to be used specifically for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the infrastructure of the Tin Can berths 4 to 14 in Apapa, Calabar , Onne Ports ,the Warri Port Jetties, rehabilitation of the Escravos breakwaters, as well as the upgrade of the digitalization of the processes and operations of the seaports.
Among other international lending institutions , which the NPA management considered for the loan facility, it seemed to have opted for the African Export- Import Bank(AFREXIM) with , which it has been in discussion, and very hopeful to secure the loan
However, as the loan is being awaited to finance the total rehabilitation and digitalization projects, the management has been providing vital facilities and equipment, required for the provision of improved services to port users ,as well as carry out some rehabilitation works, in the seaports under the NPA’s control in the West and Eastern parts of the country.
In Lagos, it has completed the projects on the modernization of Control Towers at Lagos Port Complex and Tin Can Island Port as well as inaugurated the project ; installed over 180
Marine Fenders on all Quays Authority Wide for safe berthing; Installation of Buoys at Ijegun/Kirikiri water channel and licensing and Upgrading of Pilots across the four Pilotage District.
The management has likewise acquired many Harbour Crafts (Tugboats, Pilot Cutters) . For instance , as part of its enhancement of the capacity and efficiency of the Lekki Deep Seaport, and the Ports in Lagos , the management just procured state of the art 80 Ton Bollard Pull Tugboats to complement its existing fleet of tugs.
It also purchased Patrol Boats, licensed additional truck parks , a development that has increased the capacity of truck parks servicing the Lagos Ports while it licensed 10 Export Processing Terminals , thus facilitating exports at the Nigerian Sea Ports as most of the terminals are already fully operational.
In the Eastern Ports, vital things necessary for effective port operation lacking, the NPA management has achieved a lot in this area. They include; the survey and Mapping of the Fairway Buoy up to Warri-Sapele-Koko Ports to the prescribed standards of the UKHO Charts; increase Container holding capacity at Rivers Port arising from conversion of unused space within PTOL Terminal into stacking area;
The NPA management has upgraded the infrastructure at Terminal ‘B’, Berth 7 and 8, Onne Port Complex based on Messrs WACT Nigeria Limited proposal for investment exceeding $110 million over a period of two years and completed the construction of 6,000 metric tonnes Bitumen Tank in Rivers Port Complex .
This has gone ahead to improve the company’s bitumen storage capacity , ease its operations and impacted on the infrastructural development of the South-South. The Authority has also granted approval for the completion of Road Network for the integration of Berth 9,10, &11 at Federal Ocean Terminal, Onne Port, thus boosting the Port operations, while it has installed 86 Buoys for Warri and Calabar Pilotage Districts.
The Bello Koko’s management is also set to award the contract for rehabilitation Escravos breakwaters sequel to the completion of consultancy services for the shore protection and rehabilitation of the breakwaters by Royal Haskoning.This is when the facility has been left to rot for several years.
But as it concerns the full automation of the ports operations in the country , the current management has since its inception adopted deliberate measures of undertaking investments , with a view to creating , a fully digital ecosystem in all the port locations by 2025.
This is hinged on its conviction that a digitalized port helps in making better informed operational decisions, increases efficiency, improves collaboration amongst stakeholders,
Ijegun/Kirikiri water channel and licensing and Upgrading of Pilots across the four Pilotage District.
The management has likewise acquired many Harbour Crafts (Tugboats, Pilot Cutters) . For instance , as part of its enhancement of the capacity and efficiency of the Lekki Deep Seaport, and the Ports in Lagos , the management just procured state of the art 80 Ton Bollard Pull Tugboats to complement its existing fleet of tugs.
It also purchased Patrol Boats, licensed additional truck parks , a development that has increased the capacity of truck parks servicing the Lagos Ports while it licensed 10 Export Processing Terminals , thus facilitating exports at the Nigerian Sea Ports as most of the terminals are already fully operational.
In the Eastern Ports, vital things necessary for effective port operation lacking, the NPA management has achieved a lot in this area. They include; the survey and Mapping of the Fairway Buoy up to Warri-Sapele-Koko Ports to the prescribed standards of the UKHO Charts; increase Container holding capacity at Rivers Port arising from conversion of unused space within PTOL Terminal into stacking area;
The NPA management has upgraded the infrastructure at Terminal ‘B’, Berth 7 and 8, Onne Port Complex based on Messrs WACT Nigeria Limited proposal for investment exceeding $110 million over a period of two years and completed the construction of 6,000 metric tonnes Bitumen Tank in Rivers Port Complex .
This has gone ahead to improve the company’s bitumen storage capacity , ease its operations and impacted on the infrastructural development of the South-South. The Authority has also granted approval for the completion of Road Network for the integration of Berth 9,10, &11 at Federal Ocean Terminal, Onne Port, thus boosting the Port operations, while it has installed 86 Buoys for Warri and Calabar Pilotage Districts.
The Bello Koko’s management is also set to award the contract for rehabilitation Escravos breakwaters sequel to the completion of consultancy services for the shore protection and rehabilitation of the breakwaters by Royal Haskoning.This is when the facility has been left to rot for several years.
But as it concerns the full automation of the ports operations in the country , the current management has since its inception adopted deliberate measures of undertaking investments , with a view to creating , a fully digital ecosystem in all the port locations by 2025.
This is hinged on its conviction that a digitalized port helps in making better informed operational decisions, increases efficiency, improves collaboration amongst stakeholders, and lower port costs as well as assist to meet the ever increasing customer expectations in a timely manner.
This is why the Bello Koko- led management has already gone deep, into the process of deploying at the Ports, before the end of this 2023 , what is called the Ports Community System(PCS), which is an electronic platform , that will link all the stakeholders in the Port system for purpose of communication and enhancement of delivery and clearing of goods.
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) , which is the Consultant to the NPA ,has paid the fees to the technical consultant on the project for the first and second phases, as it offered to do, while the project is set to enter the third stage.
Already, in the first and second stages of the project , the NPA has been able to get the stakeholders in the maritime industry, from the shipping lines to the freight forwarders, terminal operators, users of the ports, Standards Organisation of Nigeria(SON), among others to deliberate with the technical consultant with a view to bringing them all to the Platform.
Consequently, the consultant has studied what each one of the aforementioned agencies has in place in terms of IT deployment and automation, while in the next stage , which is the third stage , it will do an analysis of what is needed to be able to deploy the PCS.
Invariably, the plan of the NPA management is for the PCS to serve as a catalyst for the National Single Window, which is a Platform that is superior to the PCS and which enables trade facilitation and speeds up the processes of documentation for importers and exporters .
It is also commendable that the management has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) for data digitalization and exchange for effective integration of Ports statistics with National Database and upgrading of Website and Daily Shipping Position Portal.
However , beyond , the deployment of the PCS, the authority has been focusing on the smartness level of the port, rather than the size of the port , to enthrone paperless, time-saving and cost-efficient port operations, but the Bello Koko ‘s leadership should be lauded for the improvement it has effected in this area.
Thus , it is expected that the rehabilitation and the digitalization measures would make the infrastructure of the nation’s seaports to be modern , enhance their operations and processes, and their potentials , to serve as effective feeders, for the Lekki Deep Seaport , and thereby , make Nigeria a true hub in West and Central Africa.
*Fadeyi , Publisher, Marine & Economy
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