The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Wednesday in Lagos, launched an automated revenue invoicing management system (RIMS) to fast track service delivery at the ports, in its determination to improve the efficiency of services delivered to ships calling Nigerian seaports.
Also, the authority has introduced an electronic billing application and a Customer Self Service Portal that provides a platform for customers to initiate and conclude their businesses with NPA.
Speaking at a day sensitisation forum, Habibu Abdullahi, managing director, NPA, said the “RIMS is a customer portal that is fully convergent and provides real-time platforms for all NPA processes, which will lower operational cost and shorten the time for documentation.”
This 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, he said.
According to him, the introduction of this system has the potential to improve NPA’s service offering, customer relationship, create efficient payment method, maximise revenue and minimise loss associated with fraud and revenue leakage.
The NPA boss, who noted that port operations involve network of processes and documentation, said the automation would help to achieve effective coordination of the activities that would 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 said.
Also speaking, Olumide Oduntan, executive director, finance and administration, NPA, who said that new system would commence full operations in October 1, added that NPA would be retiring the e-payment solution in the next one month for full implementation of RIMS, which is integrated to e-SEN.
NPA has made significant progress in addressing inefficiencies at the ports by using technologically driven processes, Oduntan said, adding that RIMS will help the authority to grow the cargo-based revenue.
