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Nigeria can only emerge as the leading maritime and trade gateway in West and Central Africa if it modernises its ports end-to-end, integrating infrastructure, digitalisation, regulation, security and efficient connections to the hinterland, stakeholders have said.
The stakeholders spoke at the 2026 Annual Maritime Lecture of the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN), where concerns over port costs, congestion, cargo evacuation and the competitiveness of Nigerian ports dominated discussions.
Delivering the keynote address, former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman, said port modernisation must be measured by improvements in cargo movement, vessel turnaround time, logistics costs and export capacity, rather than money spent on infrastructure.
She identified infrastructure and operational models, modern equipment, digitalisation, institutional reform, human capital and commercial modernisation as six critical dimensions of port transformation.
Usman said Nigeria’s seaports handle more than four-fifths of the country’s physical imports and exports, making their efficiency critical to the wider economy. She warned that high port costs ultimately increase the prices of goods and raw materials while adding to business and exchange-rate pressures.
She cited improvements recorded by Nigerian ports, including the ranking of Tin Can Island Port and Lagos Port Complex, Apapa, among the world’s most improved container ports between 2020 and 2025, according to the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence’s Container Port Performance Index.
However, she stressed that the gains must be sustained through continued investment, stronger performance measurement and efficient road, rail, barge, inland logistics and dry-port connections.
“A port cannot be globally competitive if its hinterland is not competitive,” she said.
Usman also called for a comprehensive review of port tariffs, arguing that policymakers should focus on the total cost of moving cargo through the supply chain rather than isolated charges.
She advocated a predictable, transparent and performance-based tariff regime and an annual Port Economic Performance Report covering vessel and truck turnaround times, cargo-handling productivity, customs clearance, logistics costs, digital transactions, export connectivity and customer satisfaction.
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, represented by NPA’s General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications, Seyi Iyawe, said the Federal Government was pursuing comprehensive modernisation of Apapa, Tin Can Island and other ports.
He said the programme would involve rebuilding critical infrastructure, deepening channels, replacing obsolete equipment and overhauling port operations to accommodate larger vessels, reduce turnaround time and lower cargo-handling costs.
Oyetola also highlighted investments in deep-sea ports, marine crafts and maritime security, noting that Nigeria had maintained a zero-piracy record in its territorial waters for four consecutive years.
He said the establishment of the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency would strengthen economic regulation, enforce service standards, monitor tariffs, promote competition and protect port users from arbitrary charges.
Executive Director, Operations and Technical, Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, Capt. Dr. Warredi Enisuoh, warned that port modernisation would have limited impact without corresponding improvements outside the port gates.
“You cannot modernise a port without modernising your exit point,” he said, calling for better cargo evacuation, roads, rail, inland waterways, truck management and fewer checkpoints.
Enisuoh also advocated a genuine one-stop-shop system integrating the requirements of agencies including the NPA, NIMASA and Nigeria Customs Service to reduce delays and costs.
He urged the Federal Government to develop ports beyond Lagos to distribute cargo, ease pressure on existing facilities and create efficient trade corridors into the hinterland.
The stakeholders agreed that Nigeria’s port competitiveness requires an integrated approach linking infrastructure, technology, regulation, security, tariffs and hinterland connectivity.
Usman urged maritime journalists to strengthen their accountability role by tracking port performance, investigating cargo-movement costs and benchmarking Nigerian ports against competing African gateways.
“Behind every statistic is a business, behind every delay is a cost, and behind every efficiency gain is an opportunity for national growth,” she said.
