Truck Transit Parks Saves Maritime Industry $1.7m Annually

According to Jama Onwubariri, Managing Director of Trucks Transit Parks, the company saves $1.7 million yearly for the maritime industry with Étó’s electronic call system, compared to the ₦2.5 trillion it lost annually owing to inefficiencies before to the tech system’s implementation in 2021.

Given that 90% of the goods we require on a daily basis are imported and delivered through Nigerian ports, the managing director, who made the announcement during a press conference at the Lilypond Container Terminal in Lagos, stated that the maritime and logistics sector is the foundation of Nigerian trade.

“Roughly 2,000 trucks pick up and drop off consumer and export cargo through Lagos ports and industrial corridors every single day,” he said.

However, he emphasized that for more than ten years prior to 2021, chronic traffic jams on the access roads, ineffective cargo evacuation, safety violations, poor roads and subpar trucks, racketeering and middlemen distorting pricing and procedures, and human intervention in what should be smooth, tech-driven operations have all contributed to the congestion of this vital trade route.

He claimed there is a high cost associated with these inefficiencies. “They lengthen truck and cargo turnaround times, raise logistical expenses, and ultimately raise the cost of necessities for consumers.”

In 2021, Trucks Transit Parks (TTP) implemented the Ètò electronic call-up system in light of this. Our goal was straightforward: to solve an issue that had all but “normalized” by transparently combining cutting-edge technology, infrastructure, and stakeholder participation.

Through Étó, he said, the corporation has altered the perception, saying that “Port roads, once notorious for endless gridlock, are now more orderly and predictable.” Access to the ports is now determined by a predetermined, transparent, technology-enabled process rather than by who you know or how tough your boys are.

Since its inception, Ètò has successfully planned over 3 million truck journeys. Significantly less traffic and faster turnaround times for trucks and cargo improved adherence to the truck’s Minimum Safety Standards, Smarter payment solutions are being introduced to make booking payments easier. Continued collaborations with security agencies, unions, associations, terminal operators, and the Nigerian Ports Authority to maintain advancement, ongoing improvements to the Ètò platform, including patching vulnerabilities, strengthening security, and improving user experience.