The Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA) has formally commenced operations, ushering in a new era designed to make Nigeria’s ports more transparent, competitive, predictable and efficient.
The commencement follows President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assent to the Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency Bill, 2026, which established NPERA as the statutory authority responsible for the economic regulation of the nation’s ports.
Chairman of the NPERA Governing Board, Dr. Ibrahim Shema, traced the evolution of port economic regulation to the establishment of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council in 1978 and the concessioning of port terminals in 2006. He noted that the Shippers’ Council was subsequently designated as the interim Port Economic Regulator in 2014. Under that arrangement, the Council undertook key economic regulatory functions, including tariff regulation, dispute resolution and protection of port users.
Shema 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 said 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.
