Posted on June 15, 2026
We are building a globally competitive port system that will strengthen trade facilitation, attract Foreign Direct Investment, and boost investor confidence in Nigeria’s economic future. We look forward to continued collaboration to achieve these goals.
NPA is also implementing a digital, collaborative, and all-encompassing platform connecting stakeholders, data, transactions, and initiatives to improve NPA’s digital footprint. This platform (Port Community System) was seen as viable in the first quarter of 2026.
We are optimising cargo processes by introducing e-Tag verification, Joint boarding apps, electronic send systems, and others to reduce cargo dwell time and turnaround time in our ports. Our digital platforms allow for paperless transactions, which minimise waste.
The Authority’s port modernization project and ongoing reform initiatives around our Port Operations is cognizant of the need to sustain the enabling business environment that midwifed the year-on-year attainment of national trade surpluses.
Coming on the heels of increasing growth in Nigeria’s transhipment figures from the Lekki Deep Seaport and the expansion in external goods trade reported by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) was the coming on stream of MV Ocean Dragon to propel even greater volumes symbolizes the fact that the Nigerian business environment is progressively getting better.
With shipping volumes promising to get higher, forward-looking investments such as the one we are gathered here to celebrate will certainly have a big impact in the long run.
I want to assure the global investment community that the Nigerian Ports Authority under the supervision of the investor-friendly Minister of Marine & Blue Economy His Excellency Adegboyega Oyetola, will continue to galvanize stakeholder efforts to continuously promote the ease of doing business all in a concerted bid to optimize the rich blue economy inherent in our maritime endowments.
With regards to port infrastructure, what we missed doing on time was to construct brand new ports, which we have aggressively commenced with the operationalization of the Lekki Deep Seaport, which is fully automated and has a natural draught of 17 metres and we are ramping up investment, in order to build more deep sea ports.
Our major ports, like Apapa and Tincan, are outdated. The Port of Apapa was built 100 years ago. Even though it has 24 berths, most of them are old. Limited expansion and modernisation make it difficult to accommodate larger, modern vessels.
Our second-biggest port, Tincan, was built almost 50 years ago. But the size of vessels, their speed, the technology that drives them, has changed so much, so it has become difficult for them to come to Nigeria.
Also, these two ports are river ports, so they are a bit shallow. By contrast, neighbouring countries, like Ghana (Tema), Ivory Coast (Abidjan), Togo (Lome), Benin (Cotonou) have acted faster, so they are now ahead of us.
Their ports are deeper, more modernized. But the fact remains we are more populated than all of these countries. We are stronger economically, but the boxes have to be dropped there because they have strategically positioned their ports to be more efficient than ours in terms of infrastructure, equipment, and technology.
So, these are all things that we see as a challenge, but also as an opportunity for growth which we are poised to maximise.
This links to our ‘’Closing The Gaps’’ exercise we did a few years ago, towards the end of the pandemic, to identify regional investment priorities for ports when it comes to infrastructure, technology, and port community systems.
Since then, we have been working with regional institutions, development banks and the World Bank, to see how investment support can be provided so that, ultimately, we have competitive ports across all regions.
The Nigerian Ports Authority is a very interesting port administration because it is closely linked to the government, and the maritime administration, creating stronger coordination with the IMO than in many other countries, which is a great strength.
Our challenges are many, but it’s important to understand some of the history and context to Nigeria and its ports. So if you want to be accurate in assessing us, this historical background is essential, you can’t just jump to saying Nigeria is not doing as well as Belgium or the Netherlands, for example.
We have modelled the reform of our port system on recommendations from an international consulting firm and, to a large extent, on the Antwerp system. The execution of a masterplan like that takes a lot of time, but that is the course we’ve chosen to take.
To what extent can port modernisation help Africa’s economic growth?
Africa is unique because it is the only continent in the world where the most populous country and the strongest economy does not have the biggest seaport. Africa’s total population is around 1.5 billion, so our potential is huge, but the opportunities for growth are still very much intact.
So in terms of mining capacity, we have the resources still in the ground. But lack of technology, lack of economic strategy, lack of support and organisation compared to say, China, has denied us.
For instance, the Port of Shanghai handled about 41 million TEUs last year, but Africa as a whole handled just 34 million TEUs. And, of course, China is now investing heavily in Africa because of this, for example in Guinea Conakry with the US$16 billion Simandou iron ore project.
What about Nigeria specifically and the port sector’s overall contribution?
We are going to adopt a multi-dimensional approach and encourage more mining, more agriculture, so our seaports will grow to have the capacity not only to receive imports but also to export. We are also going to pursue a relationship that will lead to the establishment of a new deep-sea port in Nigeria.
We have licenses or permit for six, in fact, but I certainly hope that we can do one of them. And we are going to emulate a project like Tanger-Med in Morocco, for example, with a brand-new terminal equipped with the latest technology, and in collaboration with the best partners in the world.
With these things in place, foreign investors will naturally come because they have seen that the government is also committed and on board.
There was a recent report that the Federal Government would commence development of greenfield deep seaports. How true is the report?
The Federal Government has completed approvals, certifications, and compliance processes for five proposed deep-seaport projects for investment and implementation as part of efforts to reposition the country to reclaim the over 70 per cent of Nigerian-bound cargo transported to Africa.
The approved port projects as the Badagry Deep Sea Port in Lagos State, Olokola Deep Sea Port in Ondo State, Ibom Deep Sea Port in Akwa Ibom State, Bakassi Deep Sea Port in Cross River State and Bonny Deep Sea Port in Rivers State.
Although negotiations with investors are still ongoing due to the huge financial commitments required for such port projects, the government has already laid the regulatory and administrative groundwork necessary for implementation of the projects.
The planned port projects are expected to improve Nigeria’s ability to receive larger cargo vessels, expand trade capacity, and strengthen regional logistics, noting that the country’s growing population, expanding economy, and strategic role in servicing neighbouring landlocked countries make investment in deep-sea ports inevitable.
Nigeria currently accounts for over 70 per cent of cargo traffic in the West and Central African sub-region, while countries such as Niger, Chad, Mali and Burkina Faso also depend partly on Nigerian ports for access to international trade.
The government is pursuing a combination of short, medium, and long-term strategies to improve port efficiency, including the rehabilitation of existing ports, the deployment of technology-driven systems, and the development of new deep-sea infrastructure.
