FIRMS’ CAPABILITY DYNAMICS AND CONTAINER CLEARANCE LOGISTICS AT LAGOS SEAPORTS

The majority of prior studies on clearance logistics at seaports revolve around the fundamental assumption that customs and other authorities should be responsible for improving seaport clearance operations. Contrary to this assumption, this study investigates the relationship between firms dynamics (age of the business and employee work experience) and the extent of delays experienced by firm during container clearance at Lagos seaports. The article employed primary data that was gathered using structured and unstructured questionnaire. The study’s population consists of 43 manufacturing companies that are publicly quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) list continuously for more than ten years. These companies are located in Ilupeju, Agbara, Ewekoro, Ikeja, Ikorodu, Isolo, and Shagamu, which are the major industrial estates in Lagos and Ogun States, Nigeria. Out of the 43 firms sampled, only 23 of them filled out and returned the questionnaire. This number makes up 53% of the sample size. A Spearman's Rank-Order Correlation was used in analyzing the data. The findings suggest that the more experience an employee has in cargo clearance; the less likely it is that the container would be delayed for fewer days (or a shorter period of time). Additionally, it was discovered that as an organization gets older, the likelihood of delays during container clearance decreases. Thus, this paper suggests that customs and import operations personnel should get ongoing training to stay current on current and upcoming innovations in container clearance in seaports. Furthermore, analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats should be a regular activity for organizations.  &nbsp