Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, says Nigeria is expanding its port capacity and implementing major maritime reforms to position the country as a leading trade and logistics hub in West and Central Africa.

Mr Oyetola made the disclosure while declaring open the Mid-Year Session of the Board of Directors of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) on Monday in Lagos.

The meeting, which has the theme, “Ports of the Future: Combining Logistical Resilience with Inclusive Community Development”, was well attended by regional maritime stakeholders.

The minister said the federal government had approved the development of additional deep seaports across the country to strengthen supply chain resilience and improve Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global maritime industry.

“Approvals have therefore been granted for the development of additional deep seaports across the country to complement existing infrastructure, strengthen supply chain resilience, and reinforce Nigeria’s position as the preferred maritime and logistics hub for West and Central Africa,” Mr Oyetola said.

He noted that the administration of President Bola Tinubu remained committed to modernising the nation’s ports through infrastructure upgrades, digital transformation, and improved operational efficiency.

According to him, coordinated policy interventions and stronger inter-agency collaboration had significantly reduced logistics bottlenecks at major seaports.

“These efforts have contributed to improved cargo evacuation, reduced vessel waiting time, greater operational efficiency, and a more predictable business environment for port users and investors,” he said.

Mr Oyetola described the federal government’s National Single Window initiative as a landmark reform designed to streamline cargo clearance through digital integration of government agencies and port operations.

He also disclosed that existing seaports would undergo comprehensive upgrades, including channel deepening, to attract larger vessels.

“These upgrades are critical to ensuring that our ports remain globally competitive and capable of supporting larger volumes of trade in the years ahead,” the minister stated.

On maritime security, Mr Oyetola said the implementation of the Deep Blue Project had eliminated piracy in Nigerian waters and drastically reduced maritime crimes across the Gulf of Guinea.

He said the achievement had restored investor confidence and strengthened the region’s attractiveness as a secure maritime corridor for international commerce.

The minister charged delegates to advance initiatives that would “strengthen logistical resilience in port operations and regional supply chains,” while also promoting sustainable port management, innovation, digital transformation, and inclusive community development linked to maritime activities.

In his welcome address, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and President of PMAWCA, Abubakar Dantsoho, commended the ministry for hosting the Mid-Year Session of the Board of Directors of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa.

Mr Dantsoho said West and Central Africa was witnessing a major resurgence in maritime infrastructure investment, with more than 27 billion dollars worth of port projects underway or recently announced across the sub-region.

He pointed to major projects including the 20 billion dollar Simandou-Morebaya Deep Sea Port project in Guinea, the two billion dollar Port San Pedro project in Côte d’Ivoire, the 1.5 billion dollar Lekki Deep Sea Port in Lagos, and port developments in Ghana and Senegal.

He also highlighted ongoing investments in Nigeria’s Apapa and Tin Can Island ports, alongside a 600 million dollar investment by APM Terminals.

Mr Dantsoho said ports in West and Central Africa must move beyond their traditional role as cargo gateways and become drivers of broader blue economy growth.

He further said that the future of the sector lay in areas such as renewable marine energy, aquaculture, sustainable fisheries, coastal tourism, and marine biotechnology.

“The future of the sector lies in areas such as renewable marine energy, aquaculture, sustainable fisheries, coastal tourism and marine biotechnology,” he said.

The event, scheduled for May 18 to May 20, was also attended by the Governor of Taraba State, Kefas Agbu; and the governor of Lagos State, represented by the Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi.

Also in attendance were the chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote; and the special adviser on policy coordination to the president, Hadiza Bala Usman, among others. 

(NAN)