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

Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority NPA, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho has given reasons why the Authority under the guidance of the Minister of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy H.E. Dr Adegboyega Oyetola embarked on a $1billion port modernisation project, especially for Apapa and Tin Can Island Ports, saying the country lost over N1trillion annually due to obsolete and outdated port infrastructure and lack of automation.

The Managing Director, who made a power point presentation entitled: ‘Port Modernisation: Its Impact on the Maritime Industry’, at a one- day conference organised by the League of Maritime Editors LOME, with the theme: “Lagos/Eastern: How to reverse existing imbalance in disproportionate cargo vessel calls”, further disclosed that though the country controls over 60per cent of West Africa’s Gross Domestic Product GDP, yet only 25per cent of regional cargo passes through her seaports, insisting that the port modernisation directly addresses this structural imbalance.

Represented by the General Manager, Strategic Planning, Engr. Seyi Iyawe, Dr. Dantsoho, who further hinted that Nigeria lost over 56m metric tonnes of cargo in eight years (2014-2022), also said that the country lost over N130billion annually in Customs revenue.

“Nigeria loses over ₦1 trillion yearly to a lack of port automation and modern infrastructure, as congestion, delays and administrative rigidities increase logistics costs and discourage shipping lines.

“Without these reform, Nigeria’s 60per cent West Africa GDP advantage remains uncaptured”, the Managing Director said.

In terms of regional competition, Dr. Dantsoho noted that Apapa Port, established nearly 100 years ago with about 13 metre- draught and Tin Can over 50 years ago with about 11meters of draught, citing statistics, which show that Port of Lomé (Togo) has 16.6m draught with two million Twenty Equivalent Units TEUs as at 2024 and nine-day cargo dwell time, ranking 92nd globally.

He also cited statistics from the Port of Tema (Ghana), which has 16m+ draught and operating an automated scanning system, ranking 100 globally.

Also citing statistics on Nigeria’s ports, he noted that Apapa, which is nearly 100 years old and Tin Can Island Port, which is over 50 years old with infrastructure that is beyond useful life, cargo dwell time stood between 18–21 days; representing 475per cent above the global four-day benchmark.

He also cited figures, which showed that port charges at both Nigeria’s seaports stood between 30–40% higher than regional peers of Lomé and Tema.

According estimates by Dynamar, in Apapa Port alone, stakeholders lost $55million per day due to congestion costs, as shipping lines diverted their vessels to Lomé, Cotonou and Tema Ports, thus denying Nigeria revenue.

It was further gather that due to the zero automation level of the ports then, the Nigeria Customs Service relied on 100 per cent manual customs inspection at both ports, which had overreaching negative effects on the operations at the ports and their global rating, one of which was Apapa Port’s absence from Lloyd’s List global top-100 rankings since 2016, among others.

The Managing Director, however noted that Port Modernisation Project has reversed most of these ugly trends as the World Bank in its latest Container Port Performance Index CPPI, 2025, released in June, 2026, ranked Apapa and Tin Can Island Ports among the top 20 most improved seaports in the world in the last five years.

Other statistics also show that the country’s cargo throughput for 2025 recorded an exponential +24.8 per cent growth, which has been described as the ‘most significant in Nigeria’s maritime history’.

Similarly, NPA’s revenue rose from ₦894.86billion in 2024 to ₦1.28trillion in 2025 with a target ₦1.489trillion in 2026.

The MD, who noted that NPA’s operations are central to these achievements, further disclosed that the country recorded a trade surplus of ₦7.54 trillion in the first quarter of 2026.

In addition to the modernisation of physical port infrastructure, the NPA-boss noted that the launch of NPA’s Port Community System PCS in the first quarter of 2026, which facilitated the introduction of the National Single Window NSW, platform, which provided a unified digital interface across all port stakeholders laid the ground plan for these successes.

He also cited the Eto truck call-up system, which has reduced Apapa gridlock, having to manage a road designed for 2,400 trucks daily but currently receiving over 7,000 trucks daily.

He assured that the NPA would continue to play its strategic roles under the Land Lord Port model of developing, owning and operating ports and harbours across Nigeria’s coastlines, providing safe navigable channels and vessel traffic services VTS.

It also pledged to effectively regulate terminal operations, concessionaires and port service providers, drive infrastructure investment through Public, Private Partnership PPP, and direct capital programmes. This is in addition to leading maritime digitisation; as seen in the rollout of the NSW, PCS, Eto electronic call-up as well as ensure safety, security through the implementation of the International Ships and Ports Security ISPS, Code and environmental compliance.