By Jennete Ugo Anya
A
fter decades of decay that have seen Nigeria’s premier seaports cede ground to nimbler rivals in West Africa, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is gearing up for a transformative $1 billion reconstruction project at Lagos’ Tin Can Island and Apapa ports, slated to kick off in the fourth quarter of 2025.
This ambitious initiative, announced amid growing calls for infrastructure revival, aims to modernize facilities that have languished without major upgrades since their inception, Tin Can Island built 48 years ago and Apapa a staggering 103 years old, potentially unlocking billions in lost trade and restoring Nigeria’s status as the continent’s maritime powerhouse.
The Managing Director (MD) of NPA, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, speaking at a recent breakfast meeting co-hosted by the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping (NCS) and Lekki Port, painted a stark picture of the ports’ decline. “Since the construction of these ports, there have been no major attempts to repair, upgrade, or rehabilitate them,” he said, attributing the stagnation to years of infrastructural neglect that has allowed smaller neighbors like Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana to siphon off cargo traffic.
Ports in Lomé, Abidjan, and Tema now handle larger vessels and higher volumes, drawing transshipment business that should rightfully flow through Lagos.
Despite Nigeria boasting Africa’s largest economy and population, over 200 million strong, its ports manage only about 2million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) annually, a fraction of what regional competitors achieve. “Our competitors in Lomé, Cotonou, Abidjan, and Tema are only enjoying an advantage because we have not fixed our ports,” Dr. Dantsoho lamented. “By every global indicator, Nigeria is the largest economy and the most populous country in Africa, yet today, Abidjan and Lomé handle higher volumes than Lagos. This is the gap we must urgently close.”
The reconstruction, part of a broader $1 billion ports infrastructural development push that has already seen preliminary works commence at Tin Can Island, promises a comprehensive facelift. This includes civil works, dredging, berth expansions, and the acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment like larger cranes and tugboats to accommodate mega-vessels – deliveries expected in the first half of 2026. Dr. Dantsoho emphasized that aligning infrastructure, equipment, technology, human capacity, and sustainability processes will naturally draw cargo back to Nigeria, reversing the tide of diversions that have plagued the sector.
A poignant example of the current deficiencies came with the launch of the Dangote Refinery at Lekki, Africa’s largest such facility. “The equipment that NPA required to pull these tankers is not there. So, it was a struggle,” Dr. Dantsoho admitted, highlighting how inadequate tugboats and handling gear complicated operations.
To mitigate such bottlenecks, the federal government introduced a one-stop shop model, co-locating 16 agencies under NPA’s umbrella. This streamlined approach has already yielded over N25 billion in revenue from October 2024 to date, demonstrating the potential of coordinated reforms.
Dr. Dantsoho’s leadership, which began earlier this year, has been marked by a flurry of performance improvements, including the finalization of documentation for the $1 billion project and early rehabilitation efforts at key sites like Apapa, Rivers, Onne, Warri, and Calabar ports.
Recent data underscores the urgency: Under his watch, cargo throughput surged 45% in the first half of 2025, with container traffic jumping 16.2% to 1,032,000 TEUs and vehicle imports rising 31.4% to 141,000 units. These gains, coupled with enhanced vessel calls and gross tonnage, signal a turnaround, but experts warn that without sustained investment, Nigeria risks further erosion of its maritime edge.
The government’s commitment extends beyond Lagos, with parallel efforts like the $1 billion Snake Island Port deal sealed late last year with Nigerdock, aimed at boosting multipurpose capabilities.
In his address at the NCS event, chamber President, Mr. Aminu Umar, commended the creation of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy as a crucial step to harness Nigeria’s import-export potential. “Shipping and maritime logistics are not only enablers of commerce but central to national prosperity,” he said, spotlighting Lekki Deep Seaport’s emergence as a regional hub that has already amplified trade volumes and economic growth.
As Nigeria pushes to reposition its ports on the global stage – targeting world-class relevance through manpower development and collaborations like those with the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), the $1 billion overhaul represents a critical juncture.
