Abuja: The Nigerian Shippers’ Council has unveiled its Digital Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) to strengthen efficiency, transparency, and service delivery within the maritime and blue economy sector. This marks a major step in Nigeria’s maritime digital transformation as detailed by Dr. Pius Akutah, Executive Secretary of the Shippers’ Council, during the unveiling event in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the Shippers’ Council ECMS is the first comprehensive, organization-wide digital content-management system in the Nigerian maritime regulatory space. It focuses on operations, administrative efficiency, transparency, workflow automation, and improved service delivery, setting a new benchmark for the maritime sector.
Akutah highlighted that the ECM system would eliminate delays, manual file movement, and administrative bottlenecks that have hindered public institutions for years. He emphasized that strengthening accountability, speed, and information security through the ECMS would enhance the council’s regulatory effectiveness in the maritime and blue economy sector. He noted that the launch aligns with the Federal Government’s digital mandate, showing that a full digital transition is both achievable and essential.
The Executive Secretary expressed gratitude to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, for their support in the successful rollout of the system. He also acknowledged the support of the Head of Service, stakeholders, and council staff, urging them to embrace the platform as a vital tool for sustaining a modern, paperless, and efficient regulatory institution.
Sen. George Akume, the SGF, encouraged all MDAs to adopt digital transformation despite the challenges of digital adoption in public service. He tasked public services and institutions to embrace digitalization responsibly, suggesting that MDAs study the ECMS implementation journey to deploy similar systems for strengthening internal administrative capacity.
Akume noted that the initiative demonstrates the Federal Government’s commitment to modernizing public administration through integrated digital governance. He highlighted that the ECMS eliminates inefficiencies, delays, and opacity linked to paper-based processes and manual workflows in public institutions, ensuring accountability, reducing bottlenecks, and improving responses to maritime industry challenges.
The SGF praised the Shippers’ Council’s leadership for implementing the system in line with the presidential directive on digital records management, describing the rollout as a significant step toward enhancing ease of doing business and modernizing government operations nationwide.
Minister Adegboyega Oyetola also described the launch as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s pursuit of a technology-driven maritime administration. He emphasized that digital transformation is central to repositioning Nigeria as an efficient and competitive maritime nation aligned with global trade demands. The internal benefits of the ECMS are expected to extend beyond administration by improving service delivery, reducing delays, and enhancing predictable, transparent regulatory interventions.
In her remarks, the Head of Service, Didi Walson-Jack, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to a fully digital, paperless administrative structure by the end of 2025. She praised the Shippers’ Council for leading by example and aligning with the presidential directive on digital records management.