President Bola Tinubu has approved the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA) Bill 2026, paving the way for the establishment of a dedicated body to regulate economic activities within Nigeria’s port sector.
The development was disclosed by the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Dr Pius Akutah, in a social media post on Wednesday.
The proposed agency is expected to provide a clear legal framework for economic regulation across the nation’s ports while giving the sector a permanent regulator with defined powers and responsibilities.
The move follows years of efforts by the Federal Government and the National Assembly to establish a statutory economic regulator for Nigeria’s port industry.
Following the concession of the country’s ports, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council was designated in 2014 as the interim economic regulator. However, its regulatory authority was largely derived from government policies and existing regulations because there was no dedicated law granting it comprehensive statutory powers.
With the approval of the NPERA Bill, the new regulatory framework is expected to strengthen oversight of key economic activities within the port system.
Areas expected to fall under the agency’s mandate include the regulation of port tariffs, charges and rates, promotion of fair competition, licensing of service providers and resolution of commercial disputes.
The agency is also expected to provide stronger legal oversight of terminal operators, shipping companies, freight forwarders and other businesses involved in Nigeria’s maritime and port operations.
The establishment of NPERA is therefore expected to bring greater clarity, accountability and stability to economic regulation in the country’s port sector.
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