The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to promoting increased investor participation in port development while highlighting steps taken to boost the productivity levels of all the nation’s maritime gateways.
Dantsoho stated this in a statement on Tuesday obtained by The PUNCH.
At the recent Investopia forum in Lagos, attended by UAE and Lagos State officials, Dantsoho underscored Nigeria’s openness to development collaborations.
He explained the Federal Government’s recent moves at making Nigeria a leading port destination in Africa through modernisation and rehabilitation, adding that Nigerian ports are investment-ready, “with copious opportunities for productive public-private partnerships like the successful venture seen in the Lekki Deep Seaport and others”. ”.
According to him, the Federal Government’s modernisation programmes, like the National Single Window, which goes live by the end of the first quarter of 2026, “approvals for ports rehabilitation and truck electronic access are ways the government has demonstrated commitment to the port sector”. The NPA boss also listed approvals given for the commencement of virgin port projects in Badagry, Olokola, Bonny and others as a demonstration of the Nigerian government’s readiness to make its ports fertile grounds for local and foreign investors.
Speaking on the African Continental Free Trade Area, Dantsoho emphasised that modern, resilient ports and integrated logistics systems are essential to unlocking Africa’s trade potential, improving operational efficiency, and enhancing transparency and reliability across maritime and logistics value chains.
He noted that the NPA has reaffirmed the country’s commitment to development and strategic partnerships, as it showcased its vision for resilient, efficient and future-ready port infrastructure at the Investopia Global Lagos Summit. The strategic panel, themed “Infrastructure & Logistics for Africa’s Next Phase of Trade”, also featured the Regional Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi Ports Group, Mohamed Almenhali. The panel focused on port modernisation, corridor connectivity and deployment of digital trade infrastructure.
The summit, co-hosted by Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates, brought together global investors, senior government officials and industry leaders to explore opportunities across infrastructure, logistics, energy transition, financial systems and secure supply chains. The summit builds on momentum from President Tinubu’s recent visit to the UAE, during which Nigeria and the UAE signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement to deepen cooperation in renewable energy, infrastructure, logistics and digital trade.