Lekki Deep Seaport in Lagos, Nigeria’s newest seaport.

The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority NPA, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho has said that the Authority with the strong backing of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy is aggressively pursuing its massive port infrastructure renewal and modernisation projects across all locations in order to retain its gateway traffic and status in Africa.

Speaking against the backdrop of expected increase in intra- African trade occasioned by the recent commencement of the African Continental Free Trade Area AfCFTA, he hinted that NPA with the active support of its supervising ministry is working towards ensuring that its takes advantage of increased intra-African trade by putting in place port infrastructure that meets global standards to make the seaports competitive.

Addressing stakeholders while making a presentation at the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce NBCC Maritime and Logistics Forum, held in Lagos, with the theme: ‘Improving the competitiveness of the Nigerian seaports in an era of regional integration’, noted that NPA envisaged that intra African trade will significantly increase with the coming on stream of AfCFTA, which will collapse trade barriers across Africa.

“it therefore becomes imperative that we reposition Nigeria’s seaports to make them efficient and competitive in order not to lose its gateway traffic and status to other seaports within the continent.

“Our vision is to be the Maritime Logistics Hub for sustainable port services in Africa and the only way to achieve this is by having modern port infrastructure that supports efficiency and competitiveness.

 “In the quest for our nation to optimise the benefits accruable from AfCFTA, there is no gainsaying that the seaports play a pivotal role as a nodal point in international trade and logistics. Given the fact that port cost is a significant component of freight cost, which ultimately affects the prices of goods in the market, this speaks to the need for Nigeria’s seaports to be competitive and efficient.

“This however, requires strategic collaboration of every player in the port system for this vision to be achieved”, the NPA MD said.

He explained that port competitiveness is driven mainly by institution, infrastructure and macroeconomics, arguing strong institutions provide the regulatory and governance framework necessary for stable and predictable business operations; while infrastructure is a cornerstone of port competitiveness, influencing both operational efficiency and long-term strategic viability.

Dr. Dantsoho also said: “The quality of infrastructure affects transport costs, trade efficiency, and overall competitiveness. Investments in inland terminals, logistic zones, and rail networks can expand a port’s influence beyond its traditional hinterland and bring about efficiency that makes the seaport competitive.”

Similarly, the NPA MD, noted that the macroeconomic environment of a country is intricately linked to its ports’ performance and competitiveness, saying factors such as inflation, exchange rates, and economic stability influence trade flows and investments.

He expressed his gratitude to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for his support to every step the Authority takes in repositioning the nation’s seaports. He listed the efforts of the NPA to reposition the seaports to make them competitive to include but not limited to port modernisation roject.

In line with this, he argued that that it is envisaged that modernising the port infrastructure will reposition Nigeria’s seaports and boost their competitive edge by improving efficiency.

He also disclosed that aside from the newly developed Lekki Deep Seaport, the remaining six seaports in the country are grappling with decrepit infrastructure, ranging from silted channels to collapsed breakwaters and quays.

“It is consequent upon this that the Authority has embarked on a port modernisation project, aimed at revamping the dilapidated infrastructure. The Lagos Port Complex and Tin Can Island Port Complex will serve as pilot projects.”

Another area of port modernisation is the introduction of Port Community System/National Single Window, which is a digital collaborative platform that enables seamless exchange of information amongst the many port stakeholders and provides a platform for one-stop shop payments for all services and activities within the port ecosystem.

He assured that this will reduce paper work and administrative bureaucracy. The NPA MD further disclosed that the Authority in collaboration with the International Maritime Organisation IMO is working towards the actualisation of this project. He also noted that the Port Community System PCS is expected to culminate into the National Single Window NSW for maximum efficiency and competitiveness.

Another component of the port modernisation listed be the MD is the full automation of port operations, arguing that the seaport operations can only be automated then they are equipped with modern and strong infrastructure.

“For instance, in container operations, modern ship-to-shore cranes can only be deployed on strong quay aprons. Automation of the operations of the ports will be a major paradigm shift for efficiency. It is expected to reduce the turn-around-time of container vessels to hours instead of days.

“The Lekki Deep Sea Port has been a game changer, with the commencement of its operation, NPA’s cargo and vessel traffic has gained traction along with the growth of transshipment traffic”, the visibly elated Dantsoho said.