The Federal Government has reassigned the Nigerian Shippers’ Council’s (NSC) responsibilities for promoting and developing Inland Dry Ports (IDPs) to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), as part of ongoing efforts to reorganise the country’s port management framework.
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, announced the directive in a statement posted on his X page on Thursday, saying the move was designed to establish a clearer distinction between port regulation, development and operations.
The restructuring follows the enactment of the Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA) Act, 2026, which provides for the transition of the NSC into NPERA as the country’s substantive economic regulator for the port sector.
Under the new arrangement, the NPA will assume responsibility for the promotion of Inland Dry Ports, while the emerging NPERA will concentrate on economic regulation and oversight of the maritime and port industry.
Oyetola said the transfer was necessary to ensure that the responsibilities of port-sector institutions were properly aligned and to reduce overlaps in their respective mandates.
“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,” the minister said.
He explained that placing IDP promotion under the NPA would enable the facilities to be more effectively integrated into the country’s wider port infrastructure and operational network.
The development is expected to form part of the Federal Government’s efforts to strengthen the coordination of Nigeria’s maritime infrastructure and improve the connection between seaports and inland cargo destinations.
Inland Dry Ports are designed to provide cargo handling, clearance, storage and other port-related services away from coastal seaports, potentially helping to decongest major seaports and improve the movement of goods into and out of the country.
The minister also directed the immediate constitution of a Ministerial Committee to oversee the transition of the NSC into NPERA following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assent to the NPERA Act, 2026.
The committee will be responsible for guiding the institutional transition and ensuring that the functions, personnel and responsibilities affected by the restructuring are properly realigned.
With the establishment of NPERA, the government is seeking to create a dedicated institution focused on economic regulation of the port industry, separating regulatory responsibilities from the development and day-to-day operation of port infrastructure.
Oyetola said NPERA would be responsible for key regulatory functions, including the determination and oversight of tariffs and charges, promotion of competition, licensing, service standards, commercial dispute resolution and protection of port users.
The new regulatory framework is expected to redefine the roles of major institutions within Nigeria’s maritime sector, with the NPA focusing more directly on port infrastructure development and operations, while NPERA assumes responsibility for economic regulation.
The Federal Government’s restructuring comes amid efforts to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of Nigeria’s ports and strengthen the institutional framework governing activities across the maritime industry.
The transfer of IDP functions to the NPA is therefore expected to place inland port development within the same institutional structure responsible for the country’s broader port infrastructure and operational network, while allowing the new economic regulator to focus exclusively on its statutory regulatory mandate.
