Vincent Toritseju
25 July 2018, Sweetcrude, Lagos — The Nigerian Shippers’ Council, NSC, has disclosed that as a technologically-based entity, it would go paperless in its operations next year.
The council, which revealed that it has already commenced moves towards the paperless ports operation regime, said the idea was to eliminate human contact in the process of business transactions at the nation’s seaports.
According to Executive Director of the NSC, Mr. Hassan Bello, who revealed the plan in Lagos, part of the measure was to have interconnectivity with all stakeholders involved in the facilitation of trade.
Bello said that by 2019 the council would be operating paperless, “whereby every operation will be monitored online to the benefit of everybody”.
He stated that a digitally-operated port would enhance the Ease of Doing Business at the ports and that it would reduce the issue of corruption, under-declaration and all kinds of sharp practices.
“We need to talk with the NPA so that they can give us space because NPA will also benefit from that system since they can also monitor what is going on at the port. It is for the benefit of the industry,” he said, adding: “All that mean that we do not have to be at the port to know what is happening there.
“Just like our support portal which has been adopted by other stakeholders for the use of the industry.
“So it will be like an exchange for export and international trade.
“Technology is right here at the Council. We are a technologically-based Council. For example, by this next year, we would have gone paperless”.
