A container has been cleared for release. The delivery order is ready, and a truck is waiting at the terminal gate. But how does the terminal confirm that the carrier arriving to collect the container is actually authorised to do so?

It is a simple question with important implications for port security, accountability and cargo movement. As African ports digitise their operations, attention must extend beyond digitising documents to ensuring information can be verified across the different parties involved in releasing and collecting cargo.

This risk is not theoretical in Lagos. The Punch reported police action against an alleged cargo-diversion syndicate involving goods valued at ₦20 billion. The report described suspects allegedly sourcing haulage business around the ports and diverting a consignment intended for Kano to Ojota.

Connecting the Pieces

Container collection involves several parties, including shipping lines, cargo owners, freight forwarders, transport operators, customs authorities and terminal operators. Each has a role, but the information they hold often sits in different systems.

When these systems do not connect effectively, confirming who is authorised to collect a particular container can require additional checks and manual intervention. This creates opportunities for errors, unauthorised collection and operational delays.

Nigeria has made progress in digitising port operations. Electronic delivery orders, cargo-release platforms and truck scheduling systems support different stages of the process. At Apapa and Tin Can Island, Nigeria’s pioneer electronic truck call-up solution, Ètò, also provides a container-linked access-control process.

Under this arrangement, terminal operators upload containers ready for collection, linking the digital container record to an agent, destination terminal, and truck appointment. The corresponding ticket is electronically validated at controlled access points, with terminal-specific access enforced through installed barriers or integrations with existing terminal barriers.

This goes beyond assigning trucks time slots. It provides a digitally verifiable link between container information, truck appointments, and terminal access. However, a valid truck appointment does not, on its own, establish the shipping line’s or cargo owner’s authority to release a container. Connecting these two layers of verification remains an important part of the wider digitalisation journey.

What Rotterdam can teach us

The Port of Rotterdam offers a useful example. Its Secure Chain system digitally transfers container collection rights through a chain of authorised parties, from the shipping line to the customer and ultimately to the transport operator. It replaces traditional reliance on PIN codes, which can be shared or misused.

By March 2025, Rotterdam reported that the system had handled more than 1.1 million import containers. By June, all deep-sea terminals at Maasvlakte had introduced checks to verify the operating carrier at the gate.

These figures demonstrate adoption at scale, although they should not be interpreted as independent evidence of a specific reduction in cargo theft or turnaround time.

Rotterdam’s and Nigeria’s call-up systems address overlapping but different aspects of container security. While Secure Chain manages the delegation and revocation of collection rights across the cargo chain, Ètò already connects terminal-uploaded container records with truck appointments and electronically verified access.

The opportunity, therefore, is not to replicate Rotterdam wholesale or start from scratch, but to strengthen the connections between existing systems, particularly around commercial collection authority and confirmation of the actual container leaving the terminal.

A West African opportunity

In Lagos, implementation is not yet uniform across terminals. A truck may book one container but collect another. The existing Ètò mitigates conflicting bookings by invalidating an existing ticket when a new container is uploaded against an active booking. However, comprehensive verification of the actual loaded container at terminal departure and reconciliation at the port exit are not yet operational across all terminals.

To address this, there are ongoing engagements with terminals like APMT and TICT on departure notifications and actual loaded-container data. These integrations could improve mismatch detection and support intervention before a truck exits the port. Extending terminal-wide use of Ètò’s gate-out verification capability is also an implementation objective.

For Apapa and Tin Can, the priority is to improve consistency in the use of existing verification controls and close the gaps between the booked container, actual terminal departure, and port gate-out. Other ports, including Lekki, Onne and Calabar, should similarly assess their existing systems before considering new solutions.

The same principle applies across the region. Tema and Abidjan can build on their existing digital port processes to strengthen verification of collection authority. Lomé should examine the relationship between delivery orders, customs release and terminal access, while Banjul can assess how its digital management systems connect cargo-release information with carrier and gate verification.

Integration, not duplication

Technology alone will not solve the problem. Reliable data, trusted identities, clear operating procedures, and cooperation among public and private stakeholders are equally important.

The use case of the electronic call-up at Apapa and Tin Can illustrates why building on existing infrastructure matters. Rather than introducing another standalone platform, the focus should be on making existing digital controls work together, closing identified gaps and improving visibility across the cargo journey.

African ports do not need to copy Rotterdam’s model entirely. They need to understand what works, identify where their own processes fall short and make practical improvements that reflect local operating realities.

Ultimately, the next stage of port digitalisation should not be measured only by how many documents are processed electronically. It should also be measured by how confidently operators can verify who is authorised to act, protect cargo from diversion and keep legitimate trade moving.

Jama Onwubuariri is Managing Director, West African Truck Terminals.