Non-oil industry experts have urged Nigeria’s federal government to clear the obstacles preventing exporters from having efficient pre-shipment procedures at its ports.
The chairman of the Fullmarce Group, Mr. Sriram Venkateswaran, recently voiced concerns in Abuja over regulatory bodies that obstruct exporters by requiring many inspection schedules for goods prior to shipment.
He bemoaned how long it takes to put one container onto a ship—at least two weeks. It is considered a rare instance of good fortune if a container gets loaded in less than two weeks. Venkateswaran emphasized that while shipping corporations profit from the drawn-out clearance process, Nigerians suffer as the nation’s agricultural exports lose value as a result of quality problems.
Read also
- Apply Now: Africa deep tech challenge 2025
- Meta launches Llama startup program to boost AI innovation
- APPLY NOW: Booking Staff
- APPLY NOW: Accountant
- Nigeria’s reforms gaining ground as revenues rise, debt falls
- APPLY NOW: Litigation Lawyer
- The importance of feedback for career growth
- SMEDAN partners bank, seal deal to empower 40m MSMEs
- FG supports $25bn gas deal, plans revival of abandoned projects
- NNPC trains 1,000 south-west farmers in climate-resilient agriculture
Additionally, he underlined that Nigerian exporters are forced to pay interest to banks and are dependent on intermediaries who make it difficult to obtain post-shipment documentation, all of which have an impact on Nigeria’s export volume.
According to Venkateswaran, post-shipment paperwork regulations varied between nations. Occasionally, format inconsistencies cause problems for exporters. He was a supporter of creating a single window for documentation related to pre- and post-shipment. Exporters would be able to efficiently handle their paperwork and speed up their transactions thanks to this simplified approach.
In addition, he stated that although this change might not occur immediately, it is doable and ought to be carried out with the intention of giving exporters a simple, time-saving documentation procedure handled by a single window system.
Discover more from SMALL BUSINESS INSIGHTS
Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.
