By Peter Dansu The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has explained why the much-anticipated ...
By Peter Dansu
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has explained why the much-anticipated Badagry Deep Seaport and other proposed deep-sea port projects across the country have remained on hold, citing the absence of investors and the staggering cost of development.
Speaking at a Breakfast Meeting with the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, organised by the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping (NCS) and Lekki Port in Lagos, Dantsoho revealed that no deep-sea port project can take off in Nigeria without a minimum investment of $2 billion, an amount far beyond the financing capacity of government and local banks.
According to him, the Badagry Deep Seaport alone requires $3.7 billion, nearly triple the $1.3 billion spent on the Lekki Deep Seaport, which took 14 years to actualise with heavy Chinese funding.
“No group of people in Nigeria can sit and give you $3.7 billion. It has to come from international partnerships and private sector investors,” Dantsoho stated.
He lamented that Nigeria lost its competitive edge in the region by delaying critical investments, noting that, “If Badagry port had been built 16 years ago, Nigeria would have outpaced Tema and Cotonou. But because of the delay, neighbouring countries have taken the lead.”
Dantsoho further highlighted prohibitive costs in the maritime sector, disclosing that building and equipping a modern dock as a private operator could cost up to $10 billion. He also drew attention to changing global shipping patterns, where carriers like MSC and APM Terminals are deploying medium-sized vessels directly to emerging markets, questioning the sustainability of building new ports solely to attract mega ships.
While urging policymakers to move quickly, the NPA boss warned that Nigeria risks falling further behind in the global maritime space if it fails to act decisively.
Former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Temisan Omatseye, also raised alarm over the diversion of vessel traffic from Nigeria to Lome, Togo, linking it to restrictive policy decisions, particularly the ban on ship-to-ship (STS) operations offshore Lagos. He stressed that Nigeria, with its vast market of over 200 million people, should not be losing maritime business to smaller neighbours.
Omatseye emphasised that the Lekki Deep Seaport should be leveraged as a growth driver to decongest Lagos ports and feed smaller regional ports rather than seen as a competitor.
Adding his voice, the President of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Mr. Emeka Nwokeoji, questioned the management of the seven per cent port development surcharge collected on imports over the past 25 years, insisting that if properly utilised, the funds could have addressed critical infrastructure gaps.
“Where is that money going to? If they had been fixing the ports one after the other, we would not be in this mess today,” Nwokeoji queried.
On his part, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), represented by Vice President Akinbo Akin-Olugbade, warned that the potential of the Lekki Port can only be maximised if challenges around infrastructure connectivity, policy consistency, trade facilitation, maritime security, and skilled manpower are addressed.
He stressed the importance of benchmarking Nigeria’s ports against global leaders such as Singapore, Rotterdam, and Dubai, while building stronger public-private partnerships to reposition the country as a maritime hub.
Similarly, the General Secretary of the International Chambers of Shipping (ICS), Thomas Kazakos, noted that across the world, modern deep-sea ports have been engines of economic transformation, opening new trade routes, boosting competitiveness, and creating jobs.
The stalled Badagry Deep Seaport project, nearly six decades in the pipeline, remains a telling reminder of Nigeria’s struggle to match its maritime potential with timely investment and strategic vision.
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