The Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA) has formally commenced operations on Tuesday, following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assent to the Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency Bill, 2026, establishing the agency as the statutory authority responsible for the economic regulation of Nigeria’s ports.

The Chairman of the NPERA Governing Board, Dr Ibrahim Shema, assured stakeholders that the transition from the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) to NPERA would be orderly and minimally disruptive, with appropriate attention to personnel, assets, liabilities, existing contracts, pending disputes, regulatory records and licensing arrangements.

He described the legislation as a fundamental reform of Nigeria’s port governance, saying the new agency represents the culmination of nearly five decades of institutional evolution in port economic regulation.

Shema stressed that NPERA’s emergence would not result in institutional rivalry with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), which retains responsibility for port infrastructure and its landlord functions.

He noted: “This is not about creating competing authorities. It is about establishing a coherent system in which institutions work together, each within its statutory responsibilities.”

According to him, NPERA will focus on reducing uncertainty and unnecessary regulatory barriers, while promoting faster cargo movement and strengthening Nigeria’s competitiveness as a trading and investment destination.

The chairman identified transparency, fairness, predictability, efficiency and accountability as the five core principles that will underpin the agency’s regulatory philosophy.

He traced the development to the establishment of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council in 1978 and the concessioning of port terminals in 2006, noting that the shippers’ council was designated as the interim Port Economic Regulator in 2014.

In the arrangement, the council undertook key economic regulatory functions, including tariff regulation, dispute resolution and protection of port users.

He explained: “With the enactment of the NPERA Act, these responsibilities now have a permanent statutory framework, with the agency mandated to regulate port tariffs and charges, licensing, service standards, fair competition, commercial disputes, trade facilitation and port-user protection.”

Shema added that the new regulatory framework would enable port users to better understand the basis for regulated charges, while service providers would have clearer expectations regarding compliance and regulatory requirements.

Also, he pledged more accessible dispute-resolution mechanisms and increased deployment of digital platforms for licensing, tariff administration, regulatory monitoring, compliance and stakeholder engagement.

He called for sustained collaboration among the NPA, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), terminal operators, shipping lines, freight forwarders, importers, exporters and other government and private-sector stakeholders.

“The establishment of NPERA is a historic achievement, but the harder work begins now,” Shema said, stressing that the agency must translate the provisions of the new law into improved services, greater efficiency, lower regulatory uncertainty and stronger national competitiveness.

Also, the Executive Secretary/CEO of NPERA, Dr Pius Akutah, MON, expressed optimism that the new law and agency would, within the next one to two years, significantly clarify the regulatory environment governing Nigeria’s ports.

Akutah explained that the agency would work towards ensuring fair pricing, promoting competition, improving trade facilitation and strengthening government revenue.

He added that the NPERA Act provides the agency with stronger powers to improve commercial dispute resolution and protect the welfare and interests of port users and other stakeholders.

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