Nigeria Unveils Port Expansion Plan as West and Central Africa Bets on Maritime Revival

At PMAWCA’s Lagos meeting, officials argue that coordinated investment and digital reform can make the region a competitive trade corridor

Lod Onyeji 

LAGOS — Nigeria is moving to position itself as the leading trade and logistics hub for West and Central Africa through a new wave of port expansion and maritime reform, Minister of Marine and Blue Economy Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola said Monday.

Speaking at the opening of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa’s Mid-Year Board Session in Victoria Island, Oyetola said the Federal Government had approved additional deep seaports to complement existing facilities, strengthen supply chain resilience, and improve Nigeria’s competitiveness in global shipping.

“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,” Oyetola told delegates from 22 countries.

The three-day meeting, themed “Ports of the Future: Combining Logistical Resilience with Inclusive Community Development,” comes as the sub-region experiences a resurgence in maritime investment. More than $27 billion in port projects are underway or recently announced, according to Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority and current PMAWCA President.

The pipeline includes Guinea’s $20 billion Simandou-Morebaya Deep Sea Port, Côte d’Ivoire’s $2 billion Port San Pedro, and Nigeria’s $1.5 billion Lekki Deep Sea Port, alongside upgrades at Ghana’s and Senegal’s ports. In Nigeria, APM Terminals is investing $600 million in Apapa and Tin Can Island ports.

Oyetola said President Bola Tinubu’s administration is prioritizing infrastructure upgrades, digital transformation, and operational efficiency. He pointed to coordinated policy interventions and stronger inter-agency collaboration as factors that have reduced logistics bottlenecks, improved cargo evacuation, and shortened vessel waiting times at major ports.

A central plank of the reform agenda is the National Single Window, a digital platform designed to integrate government agencies and streamline cargo clearance. Existing seaports will also undergo channel deepening to accommodate 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,” Oyetola said.

On security, the minister credited the Deep Blue Project with eliminating piracy in Nigerian waters and reducing maritime crime across the Gulf of Guinea. He said the improvement had restored investor confidence and strengthened the region’s reputation as a secure corridor for international commerce.

Dantsoho urged the region to broaden its vision beyond cargo handling. “The future of the sector lies in areas such as renewable marine energy, aquaculture, sustainable fisheries, coastal tourism and marine biotechnology,” he said, calling for ports to become drivers of the wider blue economy.

The event runs through May 20 and has drawn high-profile attendance, including Taraba State Governor Dr. Kefas Agbu; Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation Oluwaseun Osiyemi, representing Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Dangote Group Chairman Aliko Dangote; and Hadiza Bala Usman, Special Adviser on Policy Coordination to the President.

If the infrastructure and reforms translate into sustained efficiency gains, Nigeria and its neighbors may be positioned to capture a larger share of global trade flows and deepen regional economic integration.