By Raheem Ibrahim<\/b><\/p>\n
The Maritime Correspondents\u2019 Organisation of Nigeria (MARCON) has commended the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Shippers\u2019 Council (NSC), Dr. Pius Akutah, for his sustained commitment and leadership in seeing the legislation become a reality and restoring the confidence of maritime investors.<\/p>\n
MARCON described the newly signed Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA) Act, 2026, as a game changer that will significantly boost investor confidence and set the nation\u2019s ports on the path to increased productivity, transparency and competitiveness.<\/p>\n
In a statement issued in Lagos on Saturday, MARCON noted that the President\u2019s assent to the long awaited legislation marks a decisive end to years of regulatory uncertainty that had hindered optimal performance in the port sector.<\/p>\n
The organisation described the Act as a critical institutional reform that finally provides a dedicated statutory framework for the economic regulation of Nigeria\u2019s ports, replacing the interim arrangement under which the Nigerian Shippers\u2019 Council had operated since 2014.<\/p>\n
MARCON stated: \u201cThis is a landmark development for Nigeria\u2019s maritime industry. The Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency Act will strengthen oversight of tariffs, rates, charges, competition and service standards. It will give the regulator clear legal powers to protect shippers, ensure fair commercial practices and resolve disputes effectively. These are the foundations needed to attract serious investment, reduce the cost of doing business and improve overall port productivity.\u201d<\/p>\n
It also acknowledged Dr. Akutah\u2019s consistent advocacy, stakeholder engagement and determination in navigating the complex legislative process that saw the Bill undergo revisions, repassage by the National Assembly and eventual presidential assent.<\/p>\n
\u201cDr. Akutah\u2019s dedication to institutional reform and his focus on strengthening the regulatory framework for Nigerian ports deserve recognition,\u201d the statement added. \u201cHis efforts have helped bring to fruition a reform that stakeholders across the industry have long demanded.\u201d<\/p>\n
MARCON expressed optimism that the full and timely implementation of the NPERA Act will translate into measurable improvements in port efficiency, greater predictability for investors and operators, and stronger alignment of Nigeria\u2019s port system with global best practices.<\/p>\n
The association called on all relevant agencies and stakeholders to support the smooth transition and operationalisation of the new regulatory regime in the interest of national economic growth and the blue economy agenda.<\/p>\n
The MARCON scribe, Olumide Osho, explained that the law gives full legal backing to the functions previously performed on an interim basis by the Nigerian Shippers\u2019 Council since 2014, following the commencement of the 2006 port concession programme. The NSC had relied largely on government policy and a 2015 gazette rather than a comprehensive Act.<\/p>\n
NPERA focuses on economic regulation, including tariffs, charges, competition, licensing of service providers and commercial dispute resolution, while the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) continues to serve as the landlord and technical and operational regulator.<\/p>\n
The expected key benefits of NPERA include a stronger and enforceable regulatory framework; better control of tariffs, rates and charges; promotion of fair competition; licensing and standards for service providers; effective commercial dispute resolution; greater transparency, predictability and investor confidence; efficiency gains; lower logistics costs; protection of port users; and support for national economic objectives.<\/p>\n
It is also expected to safeguard the economic interests of shippers and cargo owners while contributing to a more credible and competitive port environment that can position Nigeria as a stronger regional maritime and logistics hub.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Raheem Ibrahim The Maritime Correspondents\u2019 Organisation of Nigeria (MARCON) has commended the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23405,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23404"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23404\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23406,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23404\/revisions\/23406"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}