The Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN) and Convention for Business Integrity (CBi) have called on government agencies and other stakeholders in the nation’s seaport to adopt evidence-based compliance in order to achieve efficient port operations.
Speaking at the 4th compliance maritime sector roundtable themed, ‘A Maritime Sector Fit for Purpose: Evidence of Data-Driven Compliance,’ Vivek Menon, associate director of MACN, said by fostering compliance, government agencies in partnership with the private sector can create an operating environment that reduces the incidents of corruption and encourages fair competition.
Menon said the outcomes of previous round tables have helped to identify the gaps and opportunities for each government agency towards harmonising their processes for efficiency.
“To reap the gains of progress in the Nigerian maritime sector, we must adopt an evidence-based action to make informed decisions,” he said.
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According to him, implementing evidence-based compliance among government agencies will enhance transparency, accountability and traceability, which are essential for achieving efficient port.
On her part, Magdalene Ajani, the permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transportation (FMOT), said the collaboration with the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network and CBi has been a progressive movement for the maritime sector under the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
Ajani, who was represented by Babatunde Sule, a director at the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy said there is no better time than now to delve into using data-driven compliance to achieve a maritime sector fit for purpose.
According to her, through the Nigerian Shippers’ Council and other government agencies, the ministry has consistently supported, sustained and institutionalised government-led reform policies that improve compliance in the maritime domain.
Read also: Corruption: MACN wants port reform model duplicated in other sectors
Presenting a paper titled, ‘Data-Informed Decision-Making for Sustainable Port Reform and Strengthened Compliance Arrangement,’ Emmanuel Jime, executive secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), said in this era of rapid technological advancement, data has become the lifeblood of progress and innovation.
Represented by Moses Fadipe, national coordinator of the Port Standing Task Team (PSTT), he said the maritime sector can unlock valuable insights, make informed decisions, and drive sustainable port reform through data.
He said data-driven compliance provides agencies with the means to identify areas of weakness, mitigate risks, and enhance overall operational efficiency.
Read also: Corruption at Nigerian ports drops by 60.2% in two years – MACN
Earlier, Soji Apampa, the CEO of the MACN, said Nigeria cannot achieve efficient international trade without paying attention to the marine economy, which is crucial for rebuilding Nigeria’s economy.
He said the most significant issue in port operations is efficiency and no matter how effective government regulations are, it can’t work without efficiency.
“We are looking for a port system where the whole value chain is working efficiently and for that to happen, we have to follow standard operating procedure,” he said.
