The Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy under the leadership of the Honourable Minister Gboyega Oyetola has emerged as the overall best performing ministry in the Ease of Doing Business ranking.
This was revealed on Friday, at the town hall meeting, by the Special Adviser to the President on Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole.
The Presidential Adviser explained that the meeting, which was chaired by Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima, was held to review the Regulatory Reform Accelerator (RRA) report in alignment with President Bola Tinubu’s eight-point agenda, which prioritizes business climate reforms.
Dr. Oduwole while commending the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy said that the Minister, Gboyega Oyetola had summoned a meeting of the heads of agencies under his watch and charged them that he wants the ministry to come top in the ease of doing business ranking and today the ministry has achieved that.
“The minister deserves a special recognition and applause,” Dr. Oduwole remarked.
How the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy Emerged tops in PEBEC Cohort 3 ranking
Just over a year ago in March, 2023, the major agencies under the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy namely Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Shippers Council and the Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) were underperforming in the Ease of Doing Business ranking.
More than a year later, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), which is the flagship agency under the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, is out pacing other agencies in the PEBEC ranking. In the just concluded cohort 3 of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council, NPA scored 100%.
The NPA was recognised as “The Most Committed” Agency with the highest number of reform activities. NPA over the period under review initiated 63 reform activities, which is double the average number of reform activities for other MDAs.
These reform activities include the implementation of the National Single Window initiative and a Port Community System to automate port processes. These measures are geared towards improving Nigeria’s ease of doing business ranking and fostering a conducive environment for trade and investment.
According to the NPA itself, the most significant reform under Cohort 3 is the reduction in export processing time after benchmarking against competing jurisdictions. With reforms initiated by the NPA, the authority could reduce its processing time for exports from an average of 10 days to a timeline of 3-5 days, depending on the arrival of the lifting vessel.
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) is also another agency under the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy that contributed significantly to the overall rating of the Ministry.
This recognition, experts noted, stands as a testament to the strategic vision and tireless efforts dedicated to advancing Nigeria’s marine and blue economy sector by the Minister, Dr. Gboyega Oyetola.