The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) will soon commence the implementation of full automation of the port and cargo tracking to promote ease of doing business at ports, Adegboyega Oyetola, minister of Marine and Blue Economy, has said.
Oyetola made the disclosure recently in Abuja when he received Gunter Pauli, a renowned professor and entrepreneur on a visit to Nigeria.
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According to the minister, the Federal Government is keen on the diversification of the Nigerian economy away from being dependent on oil, which was why the new Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy was created.
“Again, we are going to be talking about the automation of ports to make them more efficient. In another two years, it will all change. We are bringing in automation and cargo tracking as we are working on that for implementation,” he said.
The minister said the government is interested in partnering with relevant stakeholders under the public-public-private partnership arrangement to maximise and explore the resources of the ocean sector for rapid economic development, improve people’s livelihood, create jobs and preserve the health of the ecosystem.
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“Seventy percent of the resources that are available actually come from the ocean, and we have it in abundance here. I believe in the Public Private Partnership arrangement. The government will create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive and there are a lot of opportunities there,” Oyetola said.
