Connect with us

Business

Freight Forwarders, Port Operators Partner On Efficient Services

Published

11 years ago

on

Freight forwarders in
the country have resolved to collaborate with APM Terminals Apapa Limited (APMI) to ensure efficient port operations.
The freight forwarders under the aegis of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) said they would go into strategic partnership with the APMT towards entrenching better ports operations for the enhancement of International trade in the country.
The freight forwarders stated this at the end of a facility tour of the terminal in Apapa, Lagos led by their leader, Mr Boniface Aniebonam.
Aniebonam told APMT management that NAGAFF came on the visit as part of the association’s agenda to established corporate relationship with other major stakeholders in the sector.
He said the visit was part of its mandate to help in enhancing activities at the terminals to the benefit of stakeholders including terminal operators, importers and freight forwarders.
The leader informed APMT management that NAGAFF was aware of the various challenges in the business climate in Nigeria and promised to use the association’s many channels of communication to push these issues to the attention of those in authority with a view to redressing the situation.
Aniebonam reiterated that in every dispute, dialogue, consultations and communication should be deployed in resolving all issues.
He, therefore, faulted the last strike action that brought hardship and loss of revenue to Nigeria, describing it as an avoidable situation and enjoined Nigerians doing business at the terminals to help the operators by complying with due process while the operators should also create customer-friendly environment for enhanced operations to the benefit of all.
Appreciating the concept of paperless shipping, Mr Aniebonam stressed the need for the provision of shelter for freight agents and the establishment of a Customer Relations Department to bridge the gap between the company and the general public.
On his part, the Chief commercial officer, APMT Apapa, Mr Neil Fletcher said his company was impressed with the roles being played by NAGAFF as a stabilising factor in the industry.
Mr Fletcher who later conducted the NAGAFF delegation round the terminal in a trip that took them to the container shed, truck park, the rakings as well as the new office block among others.
He disclosed that his company had invested about $330 million in developing, upgrading and modernising its terminal, making it the largest and busiest container terminal in West Africa.
According to him, towards facilitating operations at terminal, the company will take delivery of additional four RTG cranes to bring to 14, the total number in its fleet, to increase the terminal average berth productivity at 17 movies per hour.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Business

Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

Published

16 hours ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

Continue Reading

Business

NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

Published

16 hours ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
Continue Reading

Business

FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

Published

16 hours ago

on

September 22, 2025

By

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
Continue Reading

Trending