Nigeria’s port sector has entered a new regulatory era following the formal transition of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council into the Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA).
The transition follows President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assent to the Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency Act, 2026, which establishes NPERA as the statutory authority responsible for the economic regulation of Nigeria’s ports.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos, Chairman of the NPERA Governing Board, Dr. Ibrahim Shema, CON, described the development as a major institutional reform designed to create a more transparent, predictable and competitive port environment.
Shema said NPERA would oversee the economic regulation of port services and related activities, including tariffs and charges, licensing, service standards, fair competition, commercial dispute resolution, trade facilitation and the protection of port users.
According to him, the new regulatory framework is expected to provide greater certainty for shipping lines and terminal operators, while giving importers, exporters, freight forwarders and clearing agents more predictable procedures, fairer charges and improved mechanisms for resolving commercial disputes.
He stressed that the creation of NPERA would not result in a conflict of roles with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), noting that the two institutions would operate within distinct statutory mandates.
While the NPA will retain responsibility for port infrastructure and its landlord functions, NPERA will exercise independent economic regulatory oversight over the sector.
Shema said the agency’s regulatory approach would be anchored on five principles: transparency, fairness, predictability, efficiency and accountability.
He added that NPERA would leverage technology and data to strengthen licensing, tariff administration, monitoring, compliance, reporting and stakeholder engagement.
The agency is also expected to collaborate with key maritime institutions, including the NPA, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and Nigeria Customs Service, as well as terminal operators, shipping lines, freight forwarders, manufacturers, investors and other industry stakeholders.
Shema said the immediate priority was to ensure a smooth and orderly transition from the Nigerian Shippers’ Council to NPERA, while maintaining continuity in essential regulatory functions and preserving institutional knowledge.
He noted that the success of the new agency would ultimately be determined by its impact on port users and the wider Nigerian economy.
He said effective implementation of the Act should result in improved services, greater efficiency, reduced uncertainty, fair competition and stronger trade facilitation.
Also speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of NPERA, Dr. Pius Akutah, MON, expressed optimism that the new law would significantly clarify Nigeria’s port regulatory environment within the next one to two years.
Akutah said the NPERA Act would confer stronger powers on the agency to improve commercial dispute resolution and protect the interests and welfare of port users and other stakeholders.
He assured stakeholders that the new regulatory framework would support the emergence of a more efficient, transparent and competitive Nigerian port system.
The transition marks the culmination of years of efforts to establish a permanent statutory economic regulator for Nigeria’s ports.
With NPERA now assuming its regulatory mandate, attention has shifted from the passage of the legislation to its effective implementation and its ability to deliver measurable improvements across the port value chain.
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