The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has commenced the finalization of documentation and commencement of actual works on the $1 billion worth construction of the aged Tincan Island Port Complex and the comprehensive rehabilitation of Apapa, Rivers, Onne, Warri, and Calabar Port Complexes.
This was disclosed by the Managing Director of NPA, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, at the Association of Maritime Journalists of Nigeria (AMJON) annual maritime conference and awards.
Dantsoho revealed that NPA is taking steps towards port capacity expansion through the operationalization of new ports and advancement of green port development.
This includes the development of the Snake Island Port, Badagry Deep Seaport, Ondo Deep Seaport, and Burutu Ports, which are at various stages of progress under the technical guidance of NPA.
The NPA MD also highlighted the Authority’s efforts to improve efficiency through digitalization.
This includes the implementation of the Port Community System (PCS) and the National Single Window (NSW), as well as the electronic truck call-up system, which has reduced traffic gridlock around Lagos ports access roads.
Dantsoho attributed the Authority’s focus on port efficiency to Nigeria’s attainment of a trade surplus of N5.81 trillion ($3.7 billion) in Q3 2024, as reported by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG).
The NPA is exploring Public-Private Partnership (PPP) modalities to drive revenue from ports, including independent power production, fallow lands for logistics, bunkering stations, fresh water provision, and ship repairs and maintenance.
The Dantsoho-led NPA has received international recognition, including his election as President of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) and efforts to secure Nigeria’s re-admission into the influential “Category C” of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
The 2024 Consolidated Management Report of NPA highlights significant improvements in port activities, with cargo throughput increasing by 45.1% to 103,336,863 metric tons in 2024.
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