NPA to Assume Inland Dry Port Functions as NSC Transitions to NPERA 

In furtherance of our ongoing reforms, I have directed the transfer of the Inland Dry Port (IDP) functions of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) as part of our efforts to establish a clear separation between port economic regulation, development, and operations.

I have also directed the immediate constitution of a Ministerial Committee to oversee the transition of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council into the newly established Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA), following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assent to the NPERA Act, 2026.

The NPERA Act marks a landmark reform in Nigeria’s port sector, establishing a substantive statutory economic regulator after two decades of efforts to create one. With the enactment of the law, the NSC, which has served as the country’s interim port economic regulator since 2014, will transmute into NPERA.

Under the new framework, NPERA will focus on its core economic regulatory responsibilities, including the regulation of tariffs and charges, promotion of competition, licensing, service standards, commercial dispute resolution and protection of port users.

We must get this transition right. The credibility and effectiveness of an economic regulator depend, in part, on its ability to function as an impartial referee without responsibilities that could create actual or perceived conflicts of interest. A regulator cannot function as an operator and, at the same time, be expected to be perceived as an unbiased referee.

Our objective is to ensure that agencies under the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy operate within clearly defined mandates, eliminating overlapping responsibilities while strengthening transparency and creating a more predictable operating environment for port users, investors, terminal operators, shipping companies, and other stakeholders.

The transfer of IDP functions to the NPA will strengthen our inland dry ports by placing their promotion within an institution better positioned to integrate the facilities into our wider port infrastructure and operational network.

The emergence of NPERA marks a new chapter in the governance of Nigeria’s port sector. We are committed to ensuring a seamless transition and building a more efficient, integrated, and competitive port system that serves the entire country.