<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Sea Empowerment & Research Centre (SEREC-RGT)<\/strong> has described 2025 as a transitional year for Nigeria\u2019s maritime sector<\/strong> and called on policymakers and industry operators to convert policy intentions into measurable performance outcomes in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In its Public New Year Maritime Outlook Communiqu\u00e9<\/strong>, signed by Head of Research Dr. Eugene Nweke<\/strong> and released on December 30, 2025<\/strong>, SEREC said the past year saw policy articulation and institutional shifts under the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy<\/strong>, heightened competition in the Gulf of Guinea<\/strong>, ongoing port and customs modernisation challenges, and severe foreign exchange volatility<\/strong> that collectively influenced port performance, shipping decisions, trade volumes, and investor confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The centre noted that port automation and trade facilitation remain incomplete<\/strong>, with more than 15 separate digital platforms operating with limited interoperability and human interface still dominating cargo clearance processes. The much-anticipated National Single Window (NSW)<\/strong> remained largely at pilot stages, delaying expected improvements in clearance times and trade costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SEREC also highlighted mixed results in customs reforms<\/strong>. While the transition from the NICIS II<\/strong> system to the B\u2019Odogwu platform<\/strong> caused early disruptions, structural gains such as expanded non-intrusive scanning and improved risk management were acknowledged as strategically irreversible and requiring consolidation in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Operational performance at Nigerian ports showed some gains, including improved ship turnaround times and reduced truck turnaround times in controlled corridors. However, cargo dwell times remained significantly high<\/strong>, and ports continued to lag behind regional competitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On maritime security, SEREC reported zero officially recorded piracy incidents<\/strong> in Nigerian waters and the wider Gulf of Guinea during 2025, attributing this success to sustained collaboration among security agencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite these gains, SEREC warned that Nigeria remains one of the most expensive port environments in West Africa<\/strong>, with terminal handling charges substantially higher than in neighbouring hubs\u2014factors that have weakened cargo competitiveness and reinforced Nigeria\u2019s loss of trans-shipment hub status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The centre also highlighted weaknesses in intermodal transport connectivity<\/strong>, with rail and inland waterway evacuation systems underdeveloped, and emphasised that foreign exchange instability<\/strong> was the most destabilising factor for the sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Looking ahead, SEREC said 2026 must be decisive<\/strong>, focusing on consolidating automation and the National Single Window, achieving currency stability, reducing port costs, strengthening port economic regulation, improving intermodal transport, and sustaining maritime security gains to improve Nigeria\u2019s competitiveness in regional and global maritime trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n January 1, 2026 \u2014 Source: Premium News Daily<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Sea Empowerment & Research Centre (SEREC-RGT) has described 2025 as a transitional year for Nigeria\u2019s maritime sector and called on policymakers and industry operators to convert policy intentions into measurable performance outcomes in 2026. In its Public New Year Maritime Outlook Communiqu\u00e9, signed by Head of Research Dr. Eugene Nweke and released on December…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1223,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/seaempowerment.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1390"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/seaempowerment.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/seaempowerment.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seaempowerment.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seaempowerment.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1390"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/seaempowerment.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1390\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1391,"href":"https:\/\/seaempowerment.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1390\/revisions\/1391"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seaempowerment.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1223"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/seaempowerment.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seaempowerment.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seaempowerment.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1390"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seaempowerment.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpost_folder&post=1390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}