A NEW performance assessment has found that import containers at Nigeria’s TinCan Island Port spend an average of five days waiting to exit the terminal, even though the actual inspection process takes only a few hours.

The findings are contained in a Time Release Study (TRS) conducted with key government agencies at the port. The research reviewed 601 import declarations between November 2023 and September 2024 at TinCan Island, which handles more than 10 percent of Nigeria’s total seaborne trade.

According to the study, about 98.7 percent of the consignments took nearly four days from the time they were booked for examination to the point of physical exit. However, eight shipments experienced extreme delays, pushing the overall average clearance time to almost five days.

The report shows that only a small fraction of the total timeline is spent on real work. Physical inspections and other active clearance steps account for roughly 8 percent of the process, while more than 90 percent of the time is lost to inactivity caused by poor sequencing, weak coordination and procedural gaps across agencies.

In global terms, the study describes TinCan as a port that moves quickly in theory but slowly in practice. Its average clearance time of 3.6 days puts it at a disadvantage when compared with more efficient regional and international hubs.

Neighbouring ports such as Lomé in Togo and Dakar in Senegal have advanced toward Single Window systems that allow all regulatory agencies to interact digitally. In major hubs like Port Said in Egypt and Tangier-Med in Morocco, most documentation is completed before vessels arrive, enabling cargo to clear in less than 24 hours.

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At TinCan, however, processing largely begins only after containers are discharged, increasing costs and tying up capital. The 2024 Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) highlighted Dakar’s sharp improvement, while several Sub-Saharan ports, including TinCan, lagged behind.

Although most shipments leave within three to four days, the study warns that a few containers remained in the port for more than 64 days, a signal that could discourage foreign investors. Yet the same report shows that the actual inspection and assessment stage typically lasts just five hours.

The study identifies several structural causes of delay. One major issue is fragmented inspections, where Customs and other government agencies operate on separate schedules. Instead of conducting joint checks, agencies carry out sequential examinations, prolonging the process.

Manual procedures remain widespread, with nearly all cargo subjected to physical examination rather than being screened through Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) technology such as scanners. Documentation delays also persist, as delivery orders and truck dispatches are still processed manually.

Frequent downtime of the Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System (NICIS II) further slows operations by delaying updates to declarations, even after Customs clearance has been granted.

The report proposes a digital-first ‘Fast-Track’ reform package aimed at cutting average clearance times from nearly five days to two. Central to the plan is a Joint Inspection Scheduling Platform to align Customs and other government agencies, along with automated systems for truck appointments and cargo release.

It also recommends expanding scanning capacity to replace the heavy reliance on physical inspections, which currently apply to about 99 percent of cargo.

Beyond technology, the study calls for institutional and technical reforms to ensure long-term efficiency. These include harmonising risk management data across agencies and stabilising IT systems to prevent recurring outages.

At a strategic level, the report suggests creating a dedicated TRS Reform Implementation Task Force and making the study a routine benchmarking tool linked to national development plans and the AfCFTA roadmap.

The study also highlights the need for transparency and capacity building. Proposed measures include public performance dashboards for real-time monitoring and standardised training tools, such as a TRS handbook, to improve compliance.