Lagos ports’ $1m reconstruction projects begin next quarter

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) said the $1 million reconstruction project of Lagos ports would commence in the next quarter, which may break the multi-decade neglect of the critical infrastructure.

The Managing Director of the NPA, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, said since the construction of Tin Can Island Port 48 years ago and Apapa port 103 years ago, there have been no major attempts to repair, upgrade, or rehabilitate both ports.

Speaking during a panel at a breakfast meeting organised by the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping (NCS) in collaboration with Lekki Port held in Lagos, Dantsoho, lamented that the decades of ports infrastructural neglect has left it trailing smaller countries such as Togo, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, whose seaports have become preferred destinations for shippers, larger vessels and transshipment traffic in West and Central Africa.

He said that due to the infrastructure deficit, Nigeria’s ports currently handle about two million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) yearly, far below those of smaller regional competitors, despite its advantage in trade and population.

“Our competitors in Lome, Cotonou, Abidjan and Tema are only enjoying an advantage because we have not fixed our ports. By every global indicator, Nigeria is the largest economy and the most populous country in Africa, yet today, Abidjan and Lome handle higher volumes than Lagos. This is the gap we must urgently close,” Dantsoho stated.

The NPA boss said once infrastructure, equipment, technology, human capacity and sustainability processes are aligned, cargo volumes would naturally gravitate to Nigeria.

He also lamented inadequate port equipment for vessels, revealing that NPA is investing in modern cargo-handling equipment, including larger cranes and tugboats capable of serving bigger vessels, with deliveries scheduled for the first half of 2026.

He said this issue with equipment affected the Dangote Refinery at Lekki when it started operations, saying: “The equipment that NPA required to pull these tankers is not there. So, it was a struggle. Locally, for us, we had this concept of a one-stop shop, which also reduced the stress that comes around streamlining the processes.”

Dantsoho highlighted that the Federal Government’s establishment of a one-stop shop for Dangote Refinery operations, which collocates 16 government agencies within the NPA, has already generated over N25 billion in revenue from October 2024 to date.

The NPA boss added that the government is fully committed to supporting reforms, which are expected to restore investor confidence and reverse decades of vessel and cargo diversion from Nigerian ports.

In his welcome address, the President of the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping, Aminu Umar, stressed that the establishment of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy is meant to consolidate the immense potential of import-export trade in Nigeria, given that shipping and maritime logistics are not only enablers of commerce but central to national prosperity.

He said the Lekki deep seaport has already demonstrated its potential as a regional hub, supporting international trade volumes and contributing to economic growth.

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