By Innocent Orok
The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr Abubakar Dantsoho has said that the NPA has since Commenced the finalisation of documentation and commencement of actual works on the $1billion worth construction of the aged Tincan Island Port Complex and the comprehensive rehabilitation of Apapa, Rivers, Onne, Warri and Calabar Port Complexes to ensure their infrastructural integrity.
This, according to him, is in line with the mandate given to the Authority by President Bola Tinubu through the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
Dantsoho who disclosed this at the Association of Maritime Journalists of Nigeria,(AMJON) conference and awards held in Lagos at the weekend, also disclosed that NPA has taken steps towards the port capacity expansion through the operationalisation of new ports and advancement of green port development.
According to him “This includes the development of the Snake Island Port in addition to the Badagry Deep Seaport, Ondo Deep Seaport and Burutu Ports which are at various stages of progress under the technical guidance of the Nigerian Ports Authority.
“Also, the Port Community System (PCS) and the National Single Window have been aggressively implemented,” he said.
The NPA boss further announced that the organisation has concluded Nigeria’s membership of the International Port Community System Association (IPCSA) which is a necessary precursor to the implementation of the National Single Window (NSW) project.
On the Electronic Truck – call up – the electronic management of truck traffic which was conceived to sustainably tackle the excruciating traffic gridlock around the Lagos Ports access roads, Dantsoho disclosed that the system has been firmed up through the introduction of satellite truck parks and time belts resulting in significant Ease of Doing Business at the ports.
On Export Growth and Trade Surplus he disclosed that his insistence on port efficiencies has culminated in Nigeria’s attainment of a trade surplus of N5.81 trillion ($3.7billion) in Q3 2024 as reported by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG).
The Dantsoho-led Management has put Public Private Partnership (PPP) modalities in motion to drive revenue from Ports Independent Power Production. This is as Fallow Lands for logistics, Bunkering Stations, Fresh Water Provision and Ship Repairs and Maintenance are areas projected to attract investments under this arrangement.
The Dantsoho administration has recorded landmark achievement in the promotion of Nigeria’s standing in the comity of maritime nations with his pioneering victory and election as the President of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA); the first Nigerian to be elected since the inception of the prestigious regional maritime bloc in 1972.
Similarly, Dantsoho also leads and provides the diplomatic capital necessary for actualizing Nigeria’s quest for re-admission into the influential “Category C” of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
The 2024 Consolidated Management Report of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) highlights significant improvements in Port activities, with multiple indicators pointing to robust growth across various sectors. The Authority, it was disclosed, has experienced remarkable progress from cargo throughput to ship traffic and services boat operations.
One of the most notable achievements in 2024 was the substantial increase in cargo throughput. Cargo traffic surged by 45.1 per cent, rising from 71,213,197 metric tons in 2023 to 103,336,863 metric tons in 2024. This increase reflects heightened trade activities and improved operations efficiencies.
