Impact of information technology on Nigerian seaports operational performance

Abstract

The study examines how IT adoption affects the operational efficiency of seaports in Nigeria, focusing on its potential role in making up the hitherto inefficiency and competitiveness gap in global terms. The study uses questionnaire as a tool for primary data collection, 367 valid respondents were used for the analysis. By applying a quantitative analysis through structural equation modeling, the study confirms that IT adoption significantly influences operational performance. Some of the key findings are that IT tools such as GPS enabled navigation systems and Automatic Identification Systems have reduced vessel waiting times by 25%, while IoT enabled predictive maintenance has reduced equipment failure by 40%. Besides that, centralized emergency communication systems were in a position to reduce response times by 55% accordingly. This explains the critical contribution of IT in increasing safety. The analysis further showed that IT adoption accounts for about 64.7% of the variance in operational performance, hence assurance of a transformative influence of IT adoption.  Moreover, path coefficient analysis has shown a very significant positive relationship between IT adoption and operational performance, β = 0.972, p < 0.001. This study consequently established IT adoption as an important driver in the improvement on efficiency, safety, and reliability of the Nigerian seaport. It underlined an important call to policymakers and port authorities for developing IT investments and innovation, respectively, into strategic imperatives capable of sustaining competitiveness.