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Nigeria Targets West African Trade Lead With Sweeping Port Overhaul
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By Gloria Ikibah
Nigeria is stepping up efforts to reposition itself as a leading maritime hub in West Africa, with a broad reform agenda focused on modernising its ports and unlocking the potential of the blue economy.
The push, driven by the federal government under President Bola Tinubu, combines policy changes, infrastructure upgrades and institutional restructuring aimed at strengthening the country’s role in regional trade, particularly within the framework of the African Continental Free Trade Area .
At the heart of the strategy is a plan to transform port operations, expand capacity and improve efficiency in order to attract a larger share of cargo traffic across the region.
For years, Nigeria’s ports have handled the bulk of the nation’s international trade, accounting for more than 90 per cent of cargo by volume. However, persistent challenges such as congestion, ageing infrastructure and fragmented processes have weakened their competitiveness, allowing smaller neighbouring countries to gain ground.
Authorities are now seeking to reverse that trend through coordinated reforms spanning legislation, financing, regulation and digital systems, in what industry observers describe as a long-overdue reset of the maritime sector.
Speaking at an industry forum in Lagos, Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Abubakar Dantsoho, indicated that the country’s port system must adapt to the realities of a more integrated African market if it is to remain relevant and competitive.
He said: “The time has come for a paradigm shift in the structure of Nigeria’s economy towards the full utilisation of our marine resources. Our port system, if properly harnessed, can serve as a major driver of economic growth”.
Under AfCFTA, where trade barriers are steadily being dismantled, Dantsoho cautioned that efficiency, not geography, will determine which countries dominate cargo flows.
“Nigeria’s geographical advantage alone is no longer sufficient.
“Efficiency, speed, innovation and reliability will define leadership in this new era,” he said.
Nigeria’s drive to transform its maritime sector has gathered pace following an early policy shift under President Bola Tinubu, marked by the establishment of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy. The move signalled a broader rethink of the country’s economic priorities, with a focus on harnessing the vast potential of its coastal and marine resources.
The new ministry, led by Adegboyega Oyetola, was created to bring together previously scattered responsibilities within the sector and unlock an estimated multi-trillion-dollar blue economy opportunity.
Since then, the government has rolled out a layered reform plan that blends infrastructure development with policy changes. A key component of this effort is an ambitious port modernisation programme, backed by both the executive and the legislature.
As part of this, the House of Representatives approved a one-billion-dollar loan request to support the rehabilitation of the Lagos Port Complex and Tin Can Island Port, two of Nigeria’s most vital trade gateways. The intervention is aimed at tackling long-standing infrastructure gaps, improving operational efficiency and enhancing the country’s competitiveness in global shipping.
The overhaul is also tied to wider economic objectives under the National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan, with a strong emphasis on boosting non-oil exports and diversifying trade.
On the ground, the Nigerian Ports Authority has begun targeted improvements at Apapa and Tin Can Island, focusing on expanding berths, upgrading cargo handling systems and cutting down vessel waiting times.
The modernisation effort is not limited to Lagos. Plans are already in motion to extend upgrades to ports in Warri, Port Harcourt, Onne and Calabar, in what officials describe as a deliberate push for more balanced development across the country’s maritime network.
“We are committed to a balanced and inclusive development of port infrastructure across the country,” he said, noting that nationwide upgrades will enhance connectivity and stimulate regional economic growth.
In parallel, new deep seaports are being developed in multiple coastal states, including Bayelsa, Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Ondo, to expand capacity and decongest existing facilities.
The emergence of deep seaports such as Lekki Port is already reshaping Nigeria’s maritime landscape, enabling the handling of larger vessels and increasing cargo throughput—key requirements for competing in global shipping networks.
Infrastructure alone, however, is not the focus of the reforms. The government is also pushing an aggressive digitalisation agenda aimed at eliminating inefficiencies associated with manual processes.
Key initiatives include the deployment of a Port Community System (PCS) and the National Single Window platform, both designed to integrate stakeholders, streamline documentation and enhance transparency.
Industry experts say these systems could significantly reduce cargo clearance times and lower the cost of doing business—longstanding concerns among importers and exporters.
The push toward a “paperless, technology-driven port environment” is expected to improve turnaround time, curb corruption and enhance Nigeria’s attractiveness as a logistics hub.
Operational reforms are also targeting reduced cargo dwell time, faster clearance processes and improved service delivery across terminals.
Recognising that port efficiency extends beyond quay walls, the government is investing in multimodal logistics to improve cargo evacuation and inland connectivity.
Rail integration, inland dry ports, barging operations and dedicated export corridors are being expanded to ease congestion and ensure seamless movement of goods across the country.
Dantsoho stressed that without efficient hinterland connectivity, gains made at the ports would be difficult to sustain, an acknowledgment of the systemic challenges that have historically undermined Nigeria’s logistics chain.
Another critical pillar of the reform agenda is maritime security, which has seen notable improvements in recent years.
Nigeria has recorded over four years without piracy incidents, a development attributed to the Deep Blue Programme and enhanced surveillance systems.
This progress has significantly boosted investor confidence, creating a more stable environment for maritime operations and infrastructure development.
Private sector participation is also being actively encouraged, with the NPA adopting project financing models to bridge funding gaps and accelerate development.
“We are open to private sector participation through project financing. This approach is already improving efficiency and providing access to funding for critical infrastructure,” Dantsoho said.
The early results of these reforms are beginning to reflect in revenue performance and sectoral growth.
According to Oyetola, agencies under the ministry increased their combined revenue from about N700.79 billion in 2023 to approximately N1.83 trillion in 2025, a surge attributed to improved efficiency, transparency and regulatory reforms. Beyond revenue, the broader economic implications are significant.
Efficient ports are expected to reduce logistics costs, boost export competitiveness and support Nigeria’s industrialisation drive, particularly in non-oil sectors.
Analysts argue that with AfCFTA opening up a continental market, Nigeria’s ability to handle increased trade volumes efficiently could determine its position in Africa’s economic hierarchy.
Despite its size and economic weight, Nigeria currently handles only about 25 per cent of cargo traffic in West Africa, even though it accounts for more than 60 per cent of the region’s GDP.
Dantsoho described this imbalance as a clear indication that the country has not fully optimised its potential.
“It is worrisome that Nigeria, despite controlling over 60 per cent of West Africa’s GDP, handles only about 25 per cent of the region’s cargo traffic. This clearly shows that we have not fully optimised our potential,” he said.
The AfCFTA presents both an opportunity and a risk. Countries with efficient, technology-driven ports are likely to capture a larger share of trade flows, while those lagging behind could be sidelined.
Nigeria’s current reform push is therefore as much about catching up as it is about leading.
Both government officials and industry stakeholders are optimistic that the ongoing reforms will reposition Nigeria as a leading maritime hub in Africa.
Oyetola has repeatedly pointed to the country’s strategic location, extensive coastline and large market as natural advantages that can be leveraged for growth.
“With over 823 kilometres of coastline, extensive inland waterways and a prime location along the Gulf of Guinea, Nigeria is uniquely positioned to harness the immense potential of the marine and blue economy,” he said.
Dantsoho echoed this sentiment, expressing confidence that sustained reforms will usher Nigeria into a new phase of maritime competitiveness.
“With sustained commitment to these initiatives, Nigeria’s port system will enter a new phase and emerge as a leading maritime logistics hub in Africa,” he assured.
Despite visible progress in the maritime overhaul, a number of obstacles continue to threaten the pace and success of the reforms. Persistent infrastructure shortfalls, administrative bottlenecks, limited funding and the need for consistent policy direction remain key concerns.
There is also growing debate over whether improvements at the nation’s ports will be matched by progress in critical supporting sectors such as inland transport networks, electricity supply and industrial capacity, all of which are essential to fully realise the gains of a modern maritime system.
Even so, current policy direction points to a deliberate attempt to confront these challenges through coordinated reforms and targeted investment.
As the country pushes to diversify its economy and compete more effectively within the region, the blue economy is increasingly seen as a strategic growth area.
The combination of policy shifts, infrastructure development and institutional restructuring underway represents one of the most far-reaching efforts in recent years to reposition the sector.
If maintained, these initiatives could significantly alter Nigeria’s standing in African trade, turning its ports into more efficient drivers of economic activity.
With regional competition intensifying, the stakes are high, and Nigeria’s bet on its maritime sector may well influence its economic path for years to come.
By Gloria Ikibah
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has warned owners of hotels, event centres and other public facilities in Abuja against allowing their premises to be used by unlawful organisations, declaring that violators risk losing their land titles.
The warning was contained in a statement issued on Friday by Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike.
According to the administration, land allocations within the FCT are meant strictly for lawful activities, stressing that authorities would no longer tolerate the use of public facilities for gatherings linked to illegal groups.
The statement read: “In view of the need to further ensure the security of lives and properties in the FCT and sustain the efforts of security agencies in this regard, usage of Event Centres, Hotels and other public buildings will now be closely monitored.
“This is aimed at ensuring that they are not used by illegal organizations for gatherings capable of disrupting the peace of the nation’s capital.”
The FCTA also directed owners and operators of such facilities to properly verify the identities and legitimacy of organisations seeking to rent their venues before approving bookings.
“Owners of these facilities are therefore urged to take cognizance of the legality of organizations seeking to use their facilities and the purpose before letting them out,” the statement added.
The administration further warned that political activities in the build-up to elections must only involve recognised party leadership approved by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“For instance, in this political season, owners of Event Centres and Hotels in particular must ensure that they only deal with Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognised leadership of political parties in respect of the use of their facilities, and proper records of transactions must be kept.
“Failure to comply with this directive will result to revocation of the title documents such properties,” the statement further read.
The FCTA maintained that failure to comply with the directive will attract severe consequences.
News
Ebola Alert! FG flags 21 states on lockdown watch, Lagos, FCT, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Borno, others in high risk zones
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has placed several states on high Ebola preparedness alert after a fresh risk assessment classified Nigeria’s chances of importing the deadly disease as high amid regional outbreaks.
Dr Jide Idris, Director-General of the NCDC said this in a Thursday statement, stressing that Nigeria had not yet recorded any confirmed Ebola Virus Disease case linked to the outbreak.
He explained that the World Health Organization’s Public Health Emergency of International Concern declaration and increasing Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda required intensified surveillance and preparedness activities across Nigeria immediately.
Idris stated that the NCDC conducted a dynamic risk assessment to guide anticipatory and response measures, concluding that Nigeria faced a high Ebola importation risk because of international travel and regional population movement.
He added that uncertainty surrounding the outbreak’s magnitude and the possibility of delayed recognition were heightened because Ebola symptoms closely resembled common endemic diseases such as malaria and Lassa fever in Nigeria.
According to him, all states and the Federal Capital Territory must maintain Ebola preparedness, although readiness efforts should reflect varying importation and transmission risks identified through the NCDC’s recently developed preparedness classification system.
The agency categorised Lagos, the FCT, Rivers, Kano, Enugu, Borno, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Taraba, and Adamawa as high-risk states because of international airports, porous borders, and active trade or travel routes.
Idris also identified Ogun, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Plateau, Kogi, Niger, Jigawa, Katsina, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Abia, and Bayelsa as moderate-risk states requiring sustained preparedness efforts against possible Ebola importation and transmission threats.
He said that the WHO declaration underscored the seriousness of the regional threat and highlighted the urgent need for Nigeria to strengthen preparedness measures before detecting any suspected Ebola case domestically.
The NCDC boss explained that national preparedness efforts aimed to ensure every state and the FCT could quickly detect, contain, and respond to suspected Ebola cases while protecting health workers and sustaining healthcare services.
Idris reiterated that Nigeria currently had no confirmed Ebola case linked to the outbreak but warned that increasing regional transmission significantly elevated the country’s importation risk because of population movement and extensive travel networks.
He explained that airports, seaports, porous land borders, informal crossings, trade routes, and overlapping Ebola symptoms with malaria and Lassa fever increased the likelihood of delayed recognition and possible disease spread nationally.
According to him, health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda had reported 1,077 suspected Ebola cases and 247 deaths, while people aged between 14 and 45 years remained most affected.
He said the outbreak’s case fatality rate stood at 24.6 percent, while both regional and national Ebola risks remained high because of continuing transmission and the absence of approved vaccines for the outbreak sstrain.l
Idris stressed that no approved vaccines or specific treatments currently existed for Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease, making rapid public health interventions critical for containing infections and preventing widespread transmission across vulnerable communities.
He explained that outbreak control depended largely on early detection, prompt isolation of suspected and confirmed cases, strict infection prevention measures, effective contact tracing, safe burials, community engagement, and strong surveillance systems nationwide.
The NCDC Director-General disclosed that suspected Ebola cases had also been reported in India, while Canada suspended travel applications from residents of the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan because of the outbreak situation.
He added that Uganda recently announced border closure measures, while Nigeria faced significant implications because the current Bundibugyo Ebola virus outbreak lacked licensed vaccines or approved targeted therapeutics for treatment and prevention.
According to him, existing Ebola vaccines and monoclonal antibody treatments primarily targeted the Zaire ebolavirus strain and should not be relied upon as effective countermeasures against the current Bundibugyo outbreak affecting neighbouring ccountries.l
Idris clarified that Ebola Virus Disease was not airborne, explaining that transmission occurred through direct contact with blood, body fluids, contaminated materials, or infected animals associated with symptomatic or deceased infected persons.
He said the Ebola incubation period ranged from two to 21 days, making recent travel and exposure history within the preceding three weeks essential when assessing any suspected infection or potential outbreak case.
According to him, early Ebola symptoms often appeared non-specific and included fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, rash, hiccups, unexplained bleeding, bruising, and signs of shock.
Idris warned health workers against waiting for bleeding before suspecting Ebola in patients presenting compatible symptoms alongside relevant travel or exposure histories connected to affected countries experiencing active transmission of the vvirus.l
He added that the absence of strain-specific vaccines and approved therapeutics for Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease made early, aggressive, and optimised supportive care especially important in improving patient survival and treatment outcomes significantly.
The NCDC boss explained that clinical management should include rapid assessment, fluid and electrolyte management, glucose monitoring, treatment of malaria or bacterial co-infections, symptom control, shock management, and humane care in isolation facilities.
He disclosed that the NCDC had activated its national Emergency Operations Centre, currently operating in alert mode while coordinating preparedness activities with relevant federal and state institutions across the country to strengthen response capacity.
According to him, state governments and Commissioners for Health must ensure immediate operational readiness across public and private health systems to effectively manage any suspected Ebola case and prevent possible widespread community transmission.
Idris emphasised that preparedness measures should prioritise early detection, immediate isolation, supportive care, infection prevention and control, safe sample handling, contact tracing readiness, referral systems, workforce protection, and adequate medical countermeasures nationwide.
He urged commissioners to provide leadership for coordinated Ebola readiness efforts across their respective states and the Federal Capital Territory, assuring them of continued technical guidance and national coordination support from the NCDC.
The Director-General also requested commissioners to activate state public health coordination structures for Ebola preparedness and conduct rapid risk assessments focusing on population movement, high-density settings, and facilities receiving suspected cases.
He further advised states to engage public and private healthcare providers to ensure early suspicion, safe separation of suspected cases, immediate reporting through approved channels, and identification of functional isolation or holding facilities.
Idris stressed the importance of strengthening facility readiness for screening, infection prevention, ambulance transfers, safe sample movement, decontamination, and waste management while ensuring frontline workers received adequate protection and psychosocial support during operations.
He also urged intensified traveller monitoring and surveillance in states with airports, seaports, transport hubs, land borders, and migrant corridors while encouraging calm public communication to discourage stigma and promote verified information sharing.
The NCDC boss directed states to maintain essential health services without disruption and submit readiness updates within seventy-two hours while immediately reporting suspected cases, high-risk exposures, unusual febrile clusters, or major preparedness gaps.
(Credit: NAN)
Trouble seems to be looming as the North-Central Forum of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on the party’s National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, to resign within two weeks over allegations of irregularities and monetization of the party’s recently concluded primary elections.
The group accused the Yilwatda-led National Working Committee (NWC) of mishandling the State Assembly, National Assembly, governorship and presidential primaries, claiming that the process was manipulated in favour of preferred aspirants.
In a statement issued on Friday by the Forum’s National Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, the group alleged that results were altered to favour candidates loyal to party officials, while some aspirants who appeared likely to win were screened out of the contests.
According to the Forum, concerns had earlier been raised during the primaries over what it described as the “commercialization” of the exercise. It added that more than half of APC members were dissatisfied with the conduct of the elections.
The group insisted that members of the NWC should be held accountable for allegedly violating the party’s constitution and guidelines.
“We are issuing a two-week ultimatum to the national chairman to resign because of incompetence, violation of the party’s constitution, monetization of the just concluded party primaries and changing the results when it favoured those perceived as not in his camp,” the statement said.
The Forum further alleged that party officials manipulated outcomes of the primaries across the country using their positions within the party structure.
As part of its claims, the group pointed to controversies surrounding the APC presidential primary election results announced by the Chairman of the Presidential Primary Election Committee, former Senate President Pius Anyim.
Anyim had declared President Bola Tinubu winner of the presidential primary with 10,999,162 votes, while his challenger, Stanley Osifo, secured 16,503 votes.
However, the figures have since generated public debate following allegations that the numbers were inflated.
The North-Central APC Forum argued that the results did not correspond with the party’s official membership data.
“The party has eight million registered voters but when they released the result of Mr President in the presidential primary they wrote more than 10 million votes,” the statement said.
“The guidelines stated that only those that are registered are going to vote. So this means that, all over the country, what they did was selection of candidates, not election.”
The Forum also lamented that the controversies surrounding the primaries had weakened the ruling party, leading to defections by aggrieved members.
It cited the resignation of former Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege from the APC after losing the Delta Central senatorial primary. Omo-Agege has since joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), where he was reportedly granted a waiver to contest the election.
The group also referenced the defection of Mustapha Bala Dawaki, a former Chief of Staff to the APC national chairman, who left the party after losing the Dawakin Kudu/Warawa Constituency return ticket in Kano State.
According to the Forum, Dawaki’s resignation further highlighted growing dissatisfaction within the party ranks.
The Forum warned that it would institute legal action against Yilwatda if he failed to resign before June 12, Nigeria’s Democracy Day.
“It is because of these infractions that we are asking the national chairman to resign before two weeks, or we will sue him to court,” the statement added.
The group also faulted the party leadership for allegedly deploying inexperienced officials to supervise the primaries in several states, which it said contributed to the crisis currently rocking the APC.
FCTA Threatens Sanctions Against Hotels, Event Centres Hosting Illegal Groups
Ebola Alert! FG flags 21 states on lockdown watch, Lagos, FCT, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Borno, others in high risk zones
JUST IN: Trouble looming as North Central APC Group Wants Nat’l Chairman,Yilwada to Resign
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