NPA rides on electronic platforms to mull revenue for govt, enhance service delivery

Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) recently launched automated revenue invoicing management system (RIMS), an electronic invoicing platform. The authority also introduced an electronic billing application and a Customer Self Service Portal that provide a platform for customers to initiate and conclude their businesses with NPA.

These electronic based processes, industry close watchers say, will help customers to transact businesses with the authority at the comfort of their offices or from anywhere in the world, thereby reducing the number of human interactions within the port environment.

Also, the electronic process, which is aimed at putting Nigerian seaport at par with other international ports judging by the international best practises, will also help in reducing delay and enhancing vessel turnaround as well as improving the efficiency of services delivered to ships calling Nigerian seaports.

The platforms are fully integrated with all the authority’s existing solutions such as Oracle Financials, Oracle Human Capital Management, NPA Paydirect via Interswitch and Electronic Ship Entry Notice (eSEN).

Speaking at a one-day sensitisation forum held in Lagos, Habibu Abdullahi, managing director of NPA , said that RIMS is a customer portal that is fully convergent and provides real time platform for all NPA processes, which will lower operational cost and shorten the time for documentation.

“It is obvious that the introduction of these solutions will facilitate business growth with high performance. This is evident from statistics which have shown that cargo throughput increased from 46,150,518 metric tonnes in 2006 to 86,603,903 metric tonnes in 2014 indicating 87 percent increase during that period which is due to our continued efforts at improving processes,” the NPA boss said.

He said that the platform is fully integrated with the electronic flow of information for business–to–customer and business–to–business streams real-time, with higher availability and flexible architecture.

According to him, the introduction of this system has the potential to improve NPA’s service offering, customer relationship, create efficient payment method, maximize revenue and minimize loss associated with fraud and revenue leakage.

The NPA boss, who noted that port operations involve network of processes and documentation, stated that the automation will help to achieve effective coordination of the activities that will facilitate seamless operations thereby reducing both costs and time.

“The initiative unveiled today is complimentary to e-ship entry notification (e-SEN) and e-payment solutions, which will make Nigeria ports to witness further growth in its performance indices,” he explained.

The Customer Self Service Portal provides a platform for our customers to initiate and conclude their business with NPA and also communicate with us. The benefits accruing from this portal includes improved customer service delivery; easy access to customer accounts status; view of all transactions and status in respect of bills; electronic upload of manifest and e-invoice and e-receipt generation.

Similarly, the billing application, some modules of which are already operational in all port locations, will soon proceed to the next stage. It covers payment processes in areas such as lease fees, service boats, passenger boats, general bills (jetties and trawlers), and oil terminal dues (OTD)/ compulsory pilotage rates (CPR). The next stage will cover throughput fees, estate bills and provisional and final bills.

Also speaking, Olumide Oduntan, executive director, Finance and Administration of NPA, who said that new system will commence full operations in October 1, added that NPA will be retiring the e-payment solution in the next one month for full implementation of RIMS, which is integrated to e-SEN.

Oduntan disclosed that NPA has made significant progress in addressing inefficiencies at the port by using technologically driven processes. He added that RIMS will help the authority to grow the cargo based revenue.

Ahmad Rabiu, national vice President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), who congratulated Nigerian shippers, both cargo owners and shipping lines for this development, described NPA effort as an excellent initiative that will improve efficiency and save time and costs Nigerian businesses.

“With a combination of this initiative and the robust change process of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, we shall soon begin to be proud of our own. We must do more as Nigerians to block leakages and distortions, improve efficiency and block channels for corruption,” explained Rabiu, who doubles as the chairman of Dala Inland Dry Port, Kano.

UZOAMAKA ANAGOR-Ewuzie