The Ogun State Government and global ports and logistics operator DP World have signed agreements for the development of the Gateway Deep Sea Port and the Ogun State Blue Marine Special Economic Zone.
The agreements, signed in Paris, provide a framework for an initial investment of more than $7 billion and are projected to create more than 50,000 direct jobs when the projects are fully developed. President Bola Tinubu witnessed the signing alongside Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun and other government officials.
The proposed deep-sea port will be located in Ogun Waterside and is planned to have a four-kilometre berth and an 18-metre draft. The facility is expected to accommodate larger vessels and provide an alternative gateway for cargo currently moving through the Lagos port corridor.
The project is also designed to work alongside a proposed 10,000-hectare Blue Marine Special Economic Zone. The economic zone is expected to support manufacturing, processing, logistics and export-oriented industries.
According to the agreements, the integrated development is intended to strengthen Nigeria’s maritime and logistics infrastructure while supporting industrial production and international trade.
President Tinubu said the Federal Government would provide regulatory and institutional support for the projects and hold the parties involved accountable for their commitments. He also said the government would support road, rail and power connections needed to link the port and economic zone with other parts of the country.
The proposed port is expected to help ease pressure on the existing Lagos port corridor, including Apapa and Tin Can Island, while reducing some of the costs and delays associated with moving goods.
The project also forms part of a broader infrastructure plan around Ogun’s coastline. The development is expected to connect with other proposed infrastructure, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, as well as planned maritime and energy projects.
Governor Abiodun has said construction is expected to begin after a groundbreaking ceremony in November 2026. He said the port could be substantially completed within about two and a half years after construction begins.
The Ogun government has also begun discussions with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited over the revival of the long-delayed Olokola Liquefied Natural Gas (OKLNG) project in Ogun Waterside. The LNG project is being considered as another component of the emerging coastal industrial and energy corridor.
The Gateway Deep Sea Port and Blue Marine Special Economic Zone are therefore being developed as an integrated maritime, industrial and logistics project rather than as a standalone port.
If implemented as planned, the development would create infrastructure for cargo handling while also providing space for manufacturing, processing and export activities around the port.
The agreements mark a significant step in Ogun’s long-running plans to develop a deep-sea port and expand its role in Nigeria’s maritime and industrial economy.
