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

The aggressive non-oil export reforms introduced by the Nigerian Ports Authority NPA, under Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho have greatly boosted the country’s balance of trade, as shown by recent statistics. This has in no small measure, reinforced Federal Government’s economic diversification agenda, reports Francis Ezem.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on assumption of office, indicated that a major component of his economic reform agenda was to address the country’s lingering balance of trade deficit, with the attendant excessive reliance on crude oil exports, which weighed heavily against the country’s foreign exchange earnings.

It was in line with the President’s vision to reverse the country’s balance of trade deficit trajectory that the Managing Director of NPA, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho and his Management team resolved to introduce an aggressive non-oil export reform measures that not only revamped the erstwhile cumbersome non-oil export processes but also enhance overall port efficiency and competitiveness.

For instance, with the tacit support and leadership of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, H.E. Adegboyega Oyetola, the NPA under Dantsoho, embarked on what stakeholders have termed the most audacious revolutionisation of the country’s port operations ever, which saw a massive upgrade and expansion of seaport infrastructure and superstructure, automation of port systems, which led to the deployment of NPA’s Ports Community System PCS, which integrated all port systems and laid the path for the eventual introduction of Nigeria’s National Single Window NSW, platform in March 2026. The Management also revitalised the Authority’s human capital element that would drive the emerging regime of efficiency and competitiveness of the seaports, among several others.

Conscious of the position of the NPA as Nigeria’s foremost trade facilitation platform, the Dantsoho-led team embarked on massive revamping of the once cumbersome export processing systems at the seaports and terminals to engender efficiency and speed.                                                                                                                                                  

To achieve these objectives, Dantsoho and his Management strengthened the Authority’s Export Processing Terminals (EPTs).

The EPTs are primarily established as dedicated terminals that handle only non-oil export products to enhance speed. They are designed 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. The primary aim is to eliminate the duplications and bureaucratic overlaps that previously rendered Nigeria’s exports uncompetitive in the international marketplace. Unfortunately, these facilities could not function optimally due to certain bottlenecks and human interference, which led the Dantsoho’s Management to upgrade and rejig their operations.

To achieve this goal, the Authority under Abubakar Dantsoho has spared no efforts in eliminating all forms of human interfaces, which encourages underhand dealings by implementing a full automation and integration of NPA’s processes and procedures through its Ports Community System PCS.                          

Evidently, the upgraded EPTs have in no small measure, helped to simplify the hitherto cumbersome and burdensome process of exporting agro and allied products.

Not resting on its oars, the Dantsoho-led Management is concluding with the integration of several EPTs spread across the nation’s seaport locations with the Domestic Export Warehouses DEW. This is in line with measures to boost connectivity between the seaports and the domestic export warehouses with a view to growing the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises SMEs sector in the country and ultimately the national economy.

Addressing a group of exporters recently Dantsoho said: “To facilitate seaport-hinterland connectivity and create pathways for 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.                             

“This also aligns with the ease of doing business agenda of the Federal Government and the need to develop Nigeria’s industrial sector and for 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.” 

The MD therefore assured that linking the EPTs with the domestic warehouses, in addition to several other export reforms would further boost the accessibility of the country’s non-oil exports to the global market arena and thus boost economic growth.

Available statistics show that these reforms have tremendously improved general performance indices of the seaports in terms of efficiency as measured by ship turnaround time, cargo dwell time and throughput both inward and outward.

Recent reports from the NPA indicate that Nigeria’s maritime sector recorded a historic surge in activity in 2025, driven by increased cargo throughput, rising container traffic, and a growing non-oil export footprint; a development that signposts Federal Government’s commitment to economic diversification.

Specifically, according to statistics from the NEPC, Nigeria’s apex export regulatory body, the country’s non-oil exports rose by 11.5 per cent to $6.1 billion in 2025 from the $5.4 billion recorded in 2024.

Speaking during the Council’s annual progress report and 2026 non-oil export outlook engagement in Abuja, Executive Director/ CEO of the Council, Nonye Ayeni disclosed that trade data obtained from pre-shipment inspection agencies indicated that the 2025 performance marks the highest non-oil export value ever recorded in Nigeria’s history of formal, documented trade and since the establishment of the council nearly 50 years ago.

According to the CEO, in terms of volume, non-oil exports reached 8.02 million metric tonnes in 2025, indicating a 10 per cent increase compared to 7.29 million metric tonnes recorded in 2024. She attributed the growth in both value and volume to improved export activities across multiple value chains and market destinations.

The NEPC boss further disclosed that Nigeria exported 281 non-oil products during the period under review, comprising agricultural commodities, processed and semi-processed goods, industrial inputs, and solid minerals.

She noted that this reflects steady progress toward value addition and broader product diversification in the global market.

“Nigeria’s non-oil exports reached 120 countries in 2025, with the Netherlands emerging as the top destination, accounting for 17.53 per cent of total exports. Brazil followed with 10.35 per cent, while India accounted for 7.63 per cent.

“Within the African market, Nigeria exported non-oil products to 11 Economic Community of West African States ECOWAS, member countries, totalling about 1.23 million metric tonnes amounting to $272 million, constituting a 4.6 per cent decrease of the total export attributing the decrease to exit of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger from ECOWAS community.”

While commending the various reform efforts by stakeholders and partners including the NPA, she noted that the figures do not fully reflect Nigeria’s export potential, adding that a significant volume of trade still occurs informally across land borders.

Speaking recently on the country’s improved balance of trade as shown by the increase in trade volumes and value, the NPA MD assured that the Management under his watch would leave no stone unturned in its efforts at consolidating the ongoing export trade reforms to ensure sustainability.

While addressing investors and exporters at the Abuja International Trade Fair, the MD assured that the Authority is further leveraging the unique location of Abuja in the country, especially its centrality and rich agro-allied potential to support Federal Government’s efforts to continuously grow non-oil revenue by connecting local value producers in the non-oil value chain to identified international clusters of demand for their goods.

Dantsoho, who spoke further on NPA’s renewed efforts to boost non-oil exports, observed that the central location of Abuja in the country is strategic to the NPA’s renewed trade facilitation focus, which places a high premium on port-hinterland connectivity, which Abuja’s centrality accentuates.

This, according to him presents a seamless linkage with the comparative advantages inherent in all regions of the federation that can be harnessed to sustain growth in the volume and value of Nigeria’s non-oil exports.

“As Nigeria’s foremost trade facilitation platform, the NPA, is always proud to be associated with every noble cause that ensures that trade remains the most veritable tool for actualising most of Nigeria’s economic aspirations”, he said.

It is in line with this lofty vision that the NPA-boss has in the last few months spared no efforts in galvanising stakeholders towards eliminating all encumbrances on port access roads to pave way for seamless movement of cargo in and out of the seaports. It is on record that the MD has led the top management team, including the Executive Directors to attend in person the various stakeholder engagements to eliminate the resurging traffic bottlenecks on port access roads, especially in Lagos, which is currently yielding results.

Stakeholders across board are therefore enjoined to support the efforts of the NPA-Management ably led by Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho since a tree cannot make a forest, while Nigeria remains the ultimate gainer.