Nigerian Ports Authority Introduces Cargo Tracking Levy

by Lorys Charalambous, Tax-News.com, Cyprus

18 January 2010

The Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) has introduced a cargo tracking levy (CTL) on all imports and exports, into and out of Nigerian ports, to cover the cost of tracking shipments.

The NPA has said that the final decision to collect the CTL had been taken by the Nigerian Federal Executive Council early last month, as part of the introduction of a cargo tracking note (CTN) system with effect from January 11. The bill of lading for each container must now correspond to a CTN issued by the NPA’s authorized representative.

In order to ensure the security of containers in transit, a CTN is required for the clearance of all cargo loaded, or unloaded with Nigeria as its final destination, at a Nigerian port. The CTL varies from EUR50 (USD72) to EUR120, depending on the origin of the goods, while there is also a EUR25 charge for the necessary documentation.

There has been some disappointment and disagreement with the imposition of the new levies which, it was said, would increase the already-high cost of trade through Nigerian ports. Some protest was made that current import and export procedures were already too lengthy and unwieldy, even before the introduction of the new CTN system.

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