Managing Director/CEO, Nigerian Ports Authority, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho.

One year after his appointment, Managing Director/CEO of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, has unarguably laid a foundation for efficient and competitive port industry through his Midas Touch across all industry segments, reports Francis Ezem.

Introduction

When he officially assumed duty on Monday, July 22, 2024 as the Managing Director/CEO of the Nigerian Ports Authority NPA, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho was clear and unequivocal that he was on a mission to reposition the organisation for increased productivity and greater efficiency to improve revenue generation to the Authority and country as a whole. The new MD had assured that he would work under the close supervision of the Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, H.E Adegboyega Oyetola to deliver sustainable growth for the maritime industry.

One year after, the scorecard indicates that the NPA and indeed the entire maritime industry have recorded measurable milestones, an indication that the Abubakar Dantosoho-led management of the NPA is delivering on its promise. Though someone may argue that one year is too short to assess the performance of the new Managing Director and his team, evidences abound that in the last one year, sufficient solid foundation has been laid for a sustainable growth of the port industry.

Late last year, the Onne Multipurpose Terminal OMT received the “largest container ship ever” to carry out full operations at Nigeria’s eastern ports. The vessel christened ‘Kota Cempaka’, owned by Pacific International Lines PIL, is 300 metres long, and can carry 6,600 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers.

This is also given that major key performance indices KPI in terms of infrastructure upgrade, growing non- oil exports, especially agro and allied products, reduction of cost of doing business through improved port efficiency and competitiveness, increment in transhipment cargo volumes from landlocked African neighbours, revenue generation, port automation and digital transformation, staff welfare, implementation of the Port Community System PCS project, which lays the groundwork for the implementation of the National Single Window NSW, among several others suggest that major milestones have unarguably been achieved.

Synergy

Dantsoho, who hit the ground running, having commenced inspection of port infrastructure across port locations the first day in office, did not waste time in communicating his vision and mission to the top echelon of the workforce. This is a manifestation of his team- playing spirit and not alone ranger.

“As we embark on this journey together, I wish to seize this opportunity to state that our main goal is to reposition the organisation for increased productivity and greater efficiency for improved revenue generation to the Authority and the country. We must rise up to the intense competition we face from our neighbours, we must work tirelessly to improve efficiency, reduce costs and enhance the overall user experience in our seaports.

“I am confident that our predetermined objectives can be achieved through our collective efforts, therefore collaboration and teamwork will be the cornerstone of our success. I challenge you to come with me on this journey. Let me assure you that we will aim to pay closer attention to staff welfare by ensuring timely payment of emoluments, compensations and addressing issues of training and capacity development particularly, for deserving employees who add value in their areas of deployment”, he told the workers at the maiden meeting.

Dr Dantsoho also cultivated a culture of strategic engagements with critical stakeholders within the country’s supply chain including the Nigeria Customs Service and other sister agencies, the Dangote Group, the shipping lines, the terminal operators, the shippers (importers and exporters) the freight forwarding and logistics operators etc.

In line with his robust synergy and stakeholders engagement, Dr Dantsoho played host to President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote.

This is in line with his firm belief that in addition to the support and cooperation of the entire NPA workforce, he equally needs the buy-in of every relevant segment of the industry to achieve his overall goals and objectives.

Growth of non-oil/agro and allied exports

With his clear sense of purpose and direction, the new MD strengthened the Authority’s Export Processing Terminals (EPTs), which is in line with his vision to boost Nigeria’s domestic economy through the promotion of a healthy balance of trade among the country’s trading partners. This has in no small measure, helped to simplify the hitherto burdensome process of exporting Nigeria’s agro and allied products.

The EPTs were primarily established to serve as a one-stop-shop for export cargo consolidation, stuffing, documentation, packaging, certification and onward shipment through electronic call-up system to the seaports in quick turnaround time, thus eliminating the duplications and bureaucratic overlaps that previously rendered Nigeria’s exports uncompetitive in the international marketplace.

It was further gathered that the management is even extending this non-oil export drive further, as it is concluding plans to link value creators in the remotest parts of the hinterland with the farthest clusters of demand anywhere on the globe.

To achieve this goal, the Authority under Abubakar Dantsoho is sparing no efforts in eliminating all human interfaces, which encourage underhand dealings by implementing a full automation of NPA’s processes and procedures through the Ports Community System PCS, which is the first step towards the achievement of the much desired National Single Window NSW platform.

Addressing a group of exporters and investors recently, Dantsoho said: “To facilitate seaport-hinterland connectivity and create pathways for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) to play in the export value chain, the EPTs are being linked with Domestic Export Warehouses (DEWs) in synergy with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council NEPC and relevant partners.

“Also, to align with the ease of doing business orientation of the Federal Government and the need to develop Nigeria’s industrial sector and the SMEs to achieve economic advancement and global recognition, we are aggressively simplifying our export processes to enable made-in-Nigeria goods transit through our seaports as seamlessly as possible.”

In order to further boost stakeholders’ access to these export services and other growth offerings, the management has put in place a staunch business development team, this is in addition to its fully interactive online real time website www.nigerianports.gov.ng.

Little wonder Nigeria’s export volumes kept soaring in leaps and bounds. For instance, the Mediterranean Shipping Company MSC Nigeria, which accounts for the freighting of substantial percentage of Nigeria’s non-oil exports, said it shipped over 40, 000 twenty equivalent units TEUs of the country’s non-oil exports, especially agro and allied products between January-December 2024. This represents over 40per cent of figures recorded in the previous year. These exports comprise mostly of agricultural produce including cocoa, sesame seeds, ginger and soya beans, among several others.

According to the Deputy Managing Director of the company, Jacob Iosso, “Many of the reforms to boost the country’s non-oil exports are beginning to yield results as indicated in rising export figures.

“We’re the no. 1 shipping line in Nigeria in terms of shipment of export cargo, and so I can tell you that there has been a significant increase in Nigeria’s non-oil export volumes, especially in the last 12 months.”

He commended the Federal Government and the NPA for all the reforms and new initiatives introduced over time to boost the nation’s non-oil exports.

Similarly, for year 2025, available statistics from the NEPC also show that Nigeria’s non-oil export sector continued its growth trajectory in the first quarter of 2025, recording a 24.75per cent increase compared to the figures recorded in the same period in 2024, as non-oil products valued at US$1.791 billion were exported between January and March 2025, up from US$1.436 billion in the first quarter of 2024.

The Council further noted that the export volumes also increased to 2.416 million metric tonnes, which is an increase of 243.44per cent from 1.937 million metric tonnes recorded in the first quarter of 2024.

Revenue generation

The Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho-led management of NPA has also in the last one year recorded unprecedented revenue growth for the 2024 fiscal year. It was in the light of this that both chambers of the National Assembly rallied behind the management, expressing great confidence that the NPA’s impressive revenue performance could catalyse Nigeria’s economic recovery.

The Authority posted a 33.9 per cent increase in revenue as at November 2024, due the purposeful policies by the present management to reposition NPA and Nigeria’s seaports for improved performance and revenue generation. One of such policies is the automation and integration of the revenue collection systems, which has eliminated human interface, thereby blocking possible leakages.

While presenting the Authority’s revenue performance to the Joint Committee on Finance of the National Assembly, Dr Dantsoho had disclosed that the Ports Authority generated N758.26 billion between January and November 2024, representing an increase of 33.9 per cent when compared to the 2023 revenue figures.

For 2024, the NPA was expected to remit N538.46 billion to the Federal Revenue Account FRA, topping the list of government agencies expected to remit various sums of money to the government. But the agency exceeded this revenue target by 33.9 per cent.

Available records show that the amount it generated in 11 months in 2024 (January-November) surpassed its revenue target profile in 2023 by N257.3 billion. Thus, the NPA’s revenue profile has grown steadily from N361 billion in 2022 to N501 billion in December 2023, and N758.26 billion in 2024.

In reaction to this sterling performance, the National Assembly raised its revenue projection from the initial N997billion to N1.75trillion for the 2025 fiscal year.

Human capacity development & welfare

As a seasoned administrator and shipping technocrat, Dantsoho emphasised the fact that he needed a well- trained, dedicated and motivated workforce to drive the kind of exponential growth he expects in the industry. He was also certain that his vision and mission may not be achieved with the kind of speed he envisaged if the Authority lacks the much needed human capital. It was on the basis of this that he made human capital development and welfare one of the cardinal policies of the Authority under his watch.

“Let me assure you that we will aim to pay closer attention to staff welfare by ensuring timely payment of emoluments, compensations and addressing issues of training and capacity development particularly for deserving employees who add value in their areas of deployment.

“We will reward hard work and develop leadership for the future stability of the Nigerian Ports Authority”, the MD had said on assumption of duty.

Only recently, apparently in fulfilment of this promise and what industry stakeholders described as the breaking of a decade-long jinx of no promotion in the Authority, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho decided to priotise human capital development, which he argued, constitutes the key strategy for creating and sustaining superior performance under his watch.

In line with this, he has got approval for the promotion of 1, 500 members of staff of the Authority across board, some of who have not been promoted in the last 10 years.

This rare feat has earned him commendation from the two house unions; the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria MWUN and the Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government Owned companies SSASGOC, who lauded him for resolving the age- long problem of employee stagnation.

While reacting to this commendation Dantsoho said: “Talent development constitutes a critical success- factor for the actualisation of the big and audacious goals we have set for ourselves, especially in the area of port competitiveness.

“The only way we can meet and indeed exceed stakeholders’ expectations is to deepen the competencies of our human resource assets and boosting their morale”.

Speaking further, Dantsoho commended the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy Adegboyega Oyetola for approving the strategic proposal of the Dantsoho-led management team that solved the over a decade-long problem of lack of promotion that had fuelled industrial disharmony.

“I must specially appreciate our amiable Minister for graciously approving the multi-pronged stratagy we deployed that cleared all outstanding cases of employee stagnation by conducting examinations in one fell swoop and instituted timelines to forestall a recurrence of such anomaly”, he said.

Meanwhile, President of Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations & Government Owned Companies SSASCGOC, Comrade Bodunde, who reacted this first –in –history gesture of the Dantsoho-led management on behalf of the Joint Maritime Labour Unions said:“In addition to clearance of the backlog of stagnated promotions, we also wish to express our appreciation for the increase in productivity bonuses, provision of end-of-year welfare packages for staff, and the revision of the Financial Guide to the Condition of Service, which now addresses our members’ concerns about inflationary pressures.”

General Manager, Corporate & Strategic Communications of the NPA, Mr. Ikechukwu Onyemekara, while re-echoing the commitment of the Dantsoho-led management noted that while emphasis is being placed on upgrading port infrastructure, the human capital needed to drive the modern infrastructure would not be left out.

“Our seaport infrastructure and equipment modernisation drive will go hand in hand with continuous staff capacity development and welfare improvement”, Onyemekara said.

Infrastructure upgrade/modernisation/automation

The Abubakar Dantsoho-led management of the NPA has since assumption of duty last year emphasised the fact that modern infrastructure and automated systems remain the bedrock of efficient seaport operation. It has therefore left no stone unturned in its efforts to upgrade existing port infrastructure while building new ones across port locations in the country. For instance, few weeks after assuming duty, the new management team rejigged the Truck Electronic Call-Up System codenamed ‘ETO’, which ensures that only designated haulage trucks are seen on the seaport access roads at every given time. This modern truck traffic management system has helped in dismantling the seemingly gridlocks on most port access roads, which crippled businesses for several years. The management has also cleared all the seaport access roads of debris, shanties and other illegal structures that constituted impediments to free flow of traffic in and out of the seaports. This has in no small measures, enhanced turnaround time of the haulage trucks, which before now spend hours on traffic jams, thereby reducing transport cost for imports and exports. This has also helped to enhance the turnaround time of vessels that call at the nation’s seaports while helping to curb both cargo and vessel congestion as the ships are discharged immediately after berthing while the cargo is evacuated promptly, thereby leaving the terminals free.

Recently, Nigeria’s first wholly owned vessel, Ocean Dragon berthed at the Lekki Deep Seaport in Lagos.

It is also on record that the reinforcement of the berths and quay aprons at the Tin Can Island Ports Complex at Apapa is still ongoing while rehabilitation of other port infrastructure including channel management and other pilotage services are on top gear to ensure safety of navigation, as the management is focused on its port infrastructure upgrade initiatives.

Only recently the Dantsoho management sought and got Federal Government’s approved for a $1.5billion contract for the maintenance dredging of the Lekki Deep Seaport channel from its present 16.5metres to 17metres in the first phase, and ultimately targeting 19-meter depth for the channel.

This is definitely a game- changer in the country’s efforts to enhance her seaports’ competitiveness in the region, as the channels would now be able to berth larger vessels with the attendant reduction in the cost of shipping.

Speaking on the approval when he visited the Lekki Deep Seaport recently, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, charged the Lekki Port management to consolidate the transshipment volumes to landlocked neighbouring West African countries, adding that the rise in throughput volume at Lekki Port is exciting to government.

“Lekki Seaport’s capacity to berth super post-panamax vessels and deliver rapid cargo and vessel turnaround positions is a game-changer for Nigeria’s export competitiveness, particularly for agro-allied products, as the African Continental Free Trade Area AfCFTA gains traction.

“The port’s efficiency is driving steady increases in transshipment numbers, meeting the maritime needs of neighbouring countries and supporting NPA’s goal of achieving economies of scale.

“This enhanced competitiveness fuels demand, boosts foreign exchange inflows, and contributes significantly to Nigeria’s year-on-year trade surplus, reinforcing the national economy

“So it’s very pleasing to note the rising export figures and we hope that the export volume is going to double or even triple in the nearest future. And because of that, we have to still reaffirm our commitment as NPA management to do what we can possibly do within our own powers and with the support of the Federal Government to ensure that this trend, this beautiful throughput trend you have shown us, continues to grow and increase.

“So what are we doing to ensure that this trend continues? We are doing about five things. Now, number one, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, with the recommendation of the Nigerian Port Authority has gotten the approval for the dredging of the channel at Lekki Port.

“This is something that we have been working towards, something that we’ve been discussing for almost two or three years. And finally, we give God the glory that it has happened.

“We have also syndicated a strategic partnership agreement with China Harbour Engineering Company CHEC to undertake the dredging in the overriding interest of trade facilitation.   This is because we wanted to also enhance the relationship and make the partnership stronger in a concerted bid to grow Nigeria’s trade volumes.

“So I think that’s a clear indication of how serious and how supportive we can get when it comes to issues of Lekki Port.”

The MD, who also spoke on port automation, said: “Now, the other thing I want to mention is the automation issue. Now, luckily for you, and most likely because you are the most current or the latest port that we have in Nigeria, it is expected naturally that all those things that are required for a modern port to be here. Lekki Port is up to date with the technologies and we are very happy about that.

“The technology that is here will be part of the main requirements for the deployment of the Port Community System PCS, which is a precursor for keying into the National Single Window NSW platform.

“We are hoping that other port locations or other terminals will very soon also have 100 per cent capability in terms of technology deployment so that once we deploy the Port Community System, keying into it would not be an issue. So I really appreciate that Lekki Port has done well in the area of technology deployment.”

It was gathered that the contract for the maintenance dredging has also been awarded.

“We have awarded the contract for the survey of the channel, which is also a major requirement of the international port and harbour and navigation systems. This will give us more optimisation in the area of channel management around Lekki Port”, he said.

Also speaking on the request of Lekki Port for a reduction in ship dues, the NPA MD explained that many of the equipment the Authority buys to ensure efficiency at the ports are paid for in dollar.

“We keep buying navigational buoys, tug boats and others to ensure efficiency in port operations across the country. Because many of the things that we buy are denominated in dollar, in as much as it’s necessary to lessen the burden of Lekki Port payments to government, Lekki Port should also know that we need to have more money to be able to buy more of these things and also ensure that personnel who are running them are also well paid.

“When the Single window is finally deployed, and 95 per cent of port processes becomes paperless, the revenue at the ports will triple. Electronic transactions will almost eliminate all un-receipted payments in our ports.

“When this happens, it is believed that we are going to make more money. At that point, I think NPA will look at the possibility of bringing down the ship dues.”

The NPA MD however commended the Management of Lekki Deep Seaport for sustaining superior performance and remains unwavering in its commitment to providing every necessary support to optimise the port’s potential.

In line with the management’s drive towards automation and digitisation that the Dantsoho-led management successfully enlisted the country as a member of the International Port Community System Association IPCSA to join top-class ports in the region like Tangier Med Port of Morocco, the Port of Tema in Ghana, the Togo Port, Ivory Coast, and the Republic of Benin among others. This was sequel to the fulfilment of the necessary requirements.

TheIPCSA, with full memberships drawn from all regions of the world comprising Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe and North America, Latin America and Carribean, West Asia and some associate members, is the international organisation representing Port Community Systems operators, Maritime Single Window operators and port authorities.

The association, which is predominantly made up of member nations of the International Maritime Organisation IMO, is the successor to the European Port Community Systems Association ECPSA, which was launched in June 2011 by six founding members, all European-based Port Community System operators. IPCSA and its members, the newest being NPA; play a vital role in global trade facilitation; the electronic communications platforms provided by Port Community Systems ensure smooth transport and logistics operations at hundreds of sea ports, airports and inland ports.

Recall also that NPA had in recognition of the importance of the implementation of the single window platform in Nigeria engaged the technical guidance of the IMO for the deployment of the PCS, as a prelude to the deployment of the NSW in the country.

Addressing stakeholders recently, the MD said: “Only recently, upon our fulfilment of the necessary requirements, Nigeria was admitted as a member of the IPCSA. With the support from IPCSA and the IMO, NPA aims to integrate the new PCS into the NSW project. Both the PCS and NSW are currently at the development phase, and NPA is collaborating with IPCSA and local stakeholders to ensure their successful completion.

“The importance of the project and said his agency had provided leadership within the Nigerian port community.

He said: “Clearly, NPA has taken a very proactive approach to embracing ICT technologies and implementing a number of its own internal activities, in the belief that the cargo operations in our ports cannot meet international best practices without the port community system.

“The NSW is a central piece in the modernisation of our trade facilitation, and the NPA, under the visionary leadership and supervision of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, is fully committed to a successful implementation of this programme.

“At a time like this, a phase in which Nigeria is undergoing a socio-economic turnaround, the Nigerian Port Authority will certainly strive to match the pace and expectation of the government.”

Even to the worse cynics, it is evident that the Dr Abubakar Dantsoho management of the NPA has really performed beyond expectations across all KPIs. This is an indication that Nigeria’s port industry is in for good times. We only wish the management more strength in its resolve to revamp the port industry.