Business
NPA Reaps Benefits Of e-Payment
About seven months af
ter it introduced the electronic payment (e-payment) solution, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has started reaping its benefits.
NPA had in February this year introduced the e-payment in the nation’s seaports situated in Lagos, Calabar, Warri, Onne and Port Harcourt.
The initiative which is in collaboration with inter switch, makes it possible to effect payment for NPA services electronically.
Speaking on the impact of the e-payment platform so far, the Managing Director of NPA, Alhaji Habib Abdullahi said the e-payment solution has tremendously improved the organisation’s operations including identifying and blocking all avenues of revenue leakages.
According to him, the new initiative has led to investment in massive infrastructural renewal and development geared towards deepening the channels to attract larger vessels and automatic and integrate various ports nationwide, using the same information technology platform, thereby improving efficiency and reducing manual intervention in the processes.
He expressed happiness that its deployment has already started yielding results, adding that “some of the benefits of the e-payment platform include instant payment confirmation, elimination of human interface in the payment procedure, improved vessel turnaround time and reduced cost of doing business in the ports which impact positively on the national economy.
The NPA boss, said it is expected that introduction of this platform would eliminate delays in confirmation of payment of provisional bills across the ports, long documentation and payment confirmation procedures arising from the above; unnecessary delay of vessel in port awaiting payment confirmation leading to demurrage payment by ships and delay in the 48 hour clearing process.
Alhaji Abdullahi, who recently marked two years anniversary of his appointment as the MD of NPA, said the process had helped to improve service delivery between terminal operators (concessionaires) shipping companies, leases and other stakeholders and the NPA.