At an event this week, themed “Ports of the Future: Combining Logistical Resilience with Inclusive Community Development,” Adegboyega Oyetola, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, and Abubakar Dantsoho, Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and president of Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) highlighted the latest developments across ports in the region .
Oyetola told participants that the Nigerian government has approved the development of additional deep seaports across the country as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s maritime infrastructure and supply chain capacity.
He affirmed that the new deep seaports would complement existing infrastructure, improve operational efficiency, and reinforce Nigeria’s position in regional trade and logistics.
According to him, the administration of Bola Tinubu is also upgrading existing seaports through infrastructure modernisation, digital transformation, and channel deepening projects aimed at accommodating larger vessels.
Earlier, Abubakar Dantsoho, Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and president of PMAWCA, said that more than $27 billion worth of port projects are ongoing across West and Central Africa.
Dantsoho cited projects including the $20 billion Simandou-Morebaya deep seaport project in Guinea, the $2 billion Port San Pedro project in Côte d’Ivoire, the $1.5 billion Lekki Deep Sea Port in Lagos, and a proposed $600 million investment by APM Terminals in Nigeria.
The NPA boss emphasised that ports in West and Central Africa must move beyond their traditional role as cargo gateways and become drivers of broader blue economy growth.
He emphasised that aggressive investment in modern ports, deep sea facilities and technology has become necessary for the region to remain competitive in global trade.
The NPA chief said countries across West and Central Africa are repositioning their ports to accommodate larger vessels and improve trade efficiency.
“This is an industry that requires huge investment in infrastructure. You cannot make progress with obsolete facilities and still expect to receive newer and larger vessels,” Dantsoho said.
“You cannot have a hotel built 50 years ago and expect modern customers to continue coming without refurbishment. It is the same thing with ports.”
The group’s president said that ports infrastructure remains central to economic expansion, noting that countries cannot significantly grow their gross domestic product (GDP) without modernising their maritime facilities.
• Abubakar Dantsoho, NPA MD
He said that Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, and the Benin Republic are currently undertaking port upgrades and modernisation projects to improve competitiveness.
Dantsoho said Nigeria is refurbishing Apapa and Tin Can Island ports as a medium-term measure, but said the country must eventually develop more modern deep seaports capable of handling future trade volumes.
He described the Lekki deep seaport as a step forward but said Africa must pursue larger and more sophisticated facilities comparable to global maritime hubs.
“In Singapore, they are building ports with hundreds of berths. Guinea is developing a $20 billion deep sea port project. These are the kinds of investments Africa must begin to pursue if we want to compete globally,” he said.
