The number of imported vehicles handled at Nigerian ports increased by 42.5 per cent in the first half of 2026, according to data released by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
The NPA reported that 103,375 imported vehicles were handled across Nigerian ports between January and June 2026, compared with 72,568 units recorded during the same period in 2025.
The Managing Director of the NPA, Abubakar Dantsoho, disclosed the figures during a quarterly meeting of the Port Consultative Council in Lagos. He was represented at the meeting by the Principal Manager, Statistics, Okenwa Igwebuike.
According to the NPA, the increase in vehicle traffic was partly linked to higher transshipment activity at the Ports and Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML) terminal on Tin Can Island Port.
The development also followed changes to vehicle import levies introduced under the Federal Government’s 2026 fiscal measures.
In July, the government reduced the levy on new vehicles from 20 per cent to 10 per cent, while the levy on used vehicles was reduced from 15 per cent to five per cent. The government also reduced the overall duty on fully built passenger vehicles from 70 per cent to 40 per cent.
The NPA said the increase in vehicle traffic formed part of a broader improvement in port activity during the period.
Port activity records broader growth
Vessel calls at Nigerian ports rose to 2,152 in the first six months of 2026, representing a 6.9 per cent increase compared with the same period of 2025.
Total cargo throughput also increased by 12.2 per cent, reaching 68.29 million metric tonnes from 60.84 million metric tonnes recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.
Inward cargo rose by 5.6 per cent to 38.41 million metric tonnes.
Container traffic also increased during the period. The NPA recorded 815,346 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), representing a 10.3 per cent increase from 709,142 TEUs in the first half of 2025.
Transshipment container traffic recorded one of the largest increases, rising by 169.5 per cent to 35,570 TEUs from 13,199 TEUs in the same period of 2025.
Lekki Port records strong performance
Lekki Port also recorded significant growth during the period, with vessel calls increasing by 48.4 per cent.
The port handled nearly 40 per cent of Nigeria’s total national cargo throughput during the period. The NPA attributed a large part of the activity to operations linked to the Dangote Refinery, which accounted for 76 per cent of the cargo traffic recorded at the port.
Onne Port also recorded a 26.6 per cent increase in vessel calls, supported largely by LNG exports.
Despite the overall growth, the NPA said ship turnaround time worsened, with vessels spending an average of 5.3 days at berth during the period.
The rise in vehicle imports highlights the changing pattern of activity at Nigeria’s ports as government tariff adjustments, vehicle demand and transshipment operations influence the automotive and maritime sectors.
