The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has raised serious concerns about Nigeria’s shrinking role in global maritime trade due to the increasing bypassing of its ports by large container vessels.
Speaking during a recent inspection of Apapa Port, the Managing Director of NPA, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, revealed that Nigeria is now mainly served by smaller feeder ships from Ghana and Togo, where vessels carrying up to 16,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) are docking.
According to Dr. Dantsoho, this trend is a major threat to the country’s shipping future. He stressed that most of the cargo received in Ghana, Togo, and Cotonou is destined for Nigeria. “The bigger ships bring the cargo to Tema, Ghana, and smaller vessels deliver it to Nigeria. If this continues, Nigeria could be sidelined from global shipping routes,” he warned.
Dantsoho called for urgent reforms, noting that Nigeria’s ports must become competitive with those in neighbouring countries. He pointed out critical challenges like outdated infrastructure, equipment shortages — particularly tugboats for deep-sea operations — and a lack of skilled manpower.
He highlighted the example of the Dangote Refinery, where marine operations require over 30 hours of tugboat support. “We don’t have the capacity now,” he said. “But plans are underway to acquire new vessels with support from the Federal Government.”
In addition to upgrading tugboat capacity, the NPA is pushing for greenfield port projects in Badagry, Ibom, and Bakassi to meet global standards. Training of port personnel and benchmarking against global operators like APM Terminals are also priorities.
Despite the challenges, Dantsoho expressed optimism that Nigeria can reclaim its position as the leading maritime hub in West Africa through strong government backing and stakeholder collaboration.
