In a masterclass of digital transformation, Truck Transit Parks (TTP) CEO Jama Onwubuariri reveals how a simple app tamed the notorious chaos of Apapa, offering a blueprint for port cities across Africa.

For decades, the roads leading to Lagos’s Apapa and Tincan ports were a parking lot of despair. Trucks would queue for weeks, drivers slept in their cabs, and extortion by "gatekeepers" added exorbitant costs to every container. Today, that narrative is being rewritten by code. In an exclusive interview, Jama Onwubuariri, the CEO of Truck Transit Parks (TTP), detailed how his company’s "Eto" electronic call-up system has revolutionized logistics in Nigeria’s commercial capital.

The "Eto" app, which means "to arrange" or "schedule" in Yoruba, serves as a digital gatekeeper. It requires trucks to park in designated holding bays away from the port and only summons them when a terminal is ready to receive their cargo. "We used smart tech to eliminate the human interface," Onwubuariri explained. "By removing the discretion of a traffic officer to say 'you go, you stay,' we removed the opportunity for corruption."

The Impact: Efficiency by the Numbers

The results of this digital intervention are staggering. Onwubuariri reports that truck turnaround time—the time it takes for a truck to enter, load/unload, and exit—has been drastically reduced. Even more impressive is the impact on trade volume. The TTP boss claims that the system has facilitated a surge in export volumes, with some metrics suggesting a 200% increase in efficiency for export processing. "Predictability is the currency of logistics," he noted. "When a business knows their goods will move in 48 hours instead of 4 weeks, they can plan, they can invest, and they can grow."

Lessons for Mombasa and the SGR

The success of TTP in Lagos offers a critical case study for Kenya. The Port of Mombasa, the gateway to East Africa, has faced its own challenges with congestion and the "last mile" connectivity to the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR). While Kenya has made strides with the Smart Port initiative, the "Eto" model of managing truck traffic specifically could solve the gridlock often seen at the Mariakani weighbridge and the chaotic truck marshalling yards in Mombasa.

• Automation is Key: The Lagos experience proves that infrastructure alone (building more roads) is not enough; process automation is what unlocks capacity.
• Revenue Assurance: Beyond traffic, the system has plugged revenue leakages, ensuring that port fees go to the state rather than into the pockets of cartels.

The Future is Contactless

Onwubuariri admits that the journey hasn't been smooth. Pushback from entrenched interests who profited from the chaos was fierce. Yet, the TTP model stands as a testament to African innovation solving African problems. As the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) gains momentum, the ability to move goods swiftly across borders will define the continent's economic winners. Lagos has shown the way; now it is up to other port cities to download the update.