The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, on Wednesday in Lagos pledged increased investment in port facilities to enhance efficiency and assured terminal operators of continued support.
Dantsoho made the commitment during an operational tour of the Lagos Ports at Apapa and Tin Can Island Port Complexes.
His visits included stops at Apapa Bulk Terminal Limited (ABTL) and APM Terminals in the Lagos Port Complex (LPC), Apapa, as well as Tin Can Island.
Speaking during the tour, Dantsoho urged terminal operators to leverage the current favourable investment climate.
“I would like to implore all terminal operators to take advantage of the investor-friendliness of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and put in more investment. Given Nigeria’s huge population, Nigerian ports definitely deserve greater investment than what is currently obtainable.”
He emphasised the importance of environmental sustainability, stating, “In alignment with the World Ports Sustainability Programme, this management is keen on Ports eco-friendliness, and we will insist on investor compliance with this global imperative. On our part as a regulator, we assure you of all the facilitation necessary to protect your investment and guarantee return on investment.”
Dantsoho also highlighted the progress made in port digitalization. “As you are aware, with the commitment of the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, the NPA has concluded the final phase of the Port Community System (PCS), which will provide the linkage backbone for the forthcoming National Single Window (NSW) project.”
As the newly elected first Nigerian President of the Port Management Association of West & Central Africa (PMAWCA), Dantsoho stressed the urgency of advancing Nigeria’s maritime sector.
“We must translate our vision of being the maritime logistics hub for sustainable port services in Africa to reality as quickly as possible.”
Dantsoho reiterated the strategic importance of Apapa and Tin Can Island ports to the nation’s economy and the NPA’s readiness for the implementation of the PCS and port modernisation efforts. He further noted, “Apapa Port is currently the number one port in Nigeria, as it receives the highest number of containers in the country.”
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, has reaffirmed the strategic importance of Apapa Port, describing it as the “number one port for the NPA and the federal government.”
He emphasised that Apapa Port handles the highest number of containers in Nigeria due to the efficiency of APM Terminals.
Speaking on port automation, Dantsoho stated, “We will begin implementation of PCS. We will be on the same page with our terminal operators, other government agencies, and our stakeholders. APM Terminals is 100 per cent ready for the PCS, and ABTL is almost ready.”
He further explained the significance of electronic integration across terminals, saying, “All the terminals will have electronic integration, what is called the Port Community System, which will now advance into the National Single Window (NSW). This is a major project of the federal government and the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, who has been focused on that.”
The NPA headman commended terminal operators for their continued investment in Nigeria’s economy, highlighting their role in equipment and infrastructure upgrades. He urged them to do more to fulfil the objectives of port concessioning.
“Compared to the last 20 years, or even more, the reform that ended in 2006 was a clear departure from when NPA was doing both the cargo and the shipping part of the business.
“Right from 2006, NPA is structured in a way that we are concentrating on the ship side of the business, the private sector is involved in the cargo handling, and the essence of bringing the terminal operators is for Nigeria to be able to have a more advanced infrastructure and equipment without using public sector funds.”
He added, “So, if you bring in private sector practitioners, such as terminal operators, what is expected of them by Nigeria is for them to improve infrastructure and equipment; that is the key objective. And as you can see, we have achieved part of the aim.”
Dantsoho also recognised the efforts of specific terminal operators, stating, “You know, in Apapa, we have a company or terminal operators like APMT, like ABTL, and then at Tin Can, we have Five Star Logistics and others; they are doing their best to improve these two things I have mentioned, infrastructure and equipment.”
However, he acknowledged that more work remains, adding, “But, that is not to say that we are where we want to be or that we have achieved 100% of the goal we set out to achieve at the beginning of the day, but we are looking to see how we can improve the relationship, how we can integrate in a way that we can move faster, and because of that, the government is trying to see how it is going to be as soon as possible.”
This visit marked Dr Dantsoho’s first official tour of the port since his appointment as the NPA’s Managing Director. He revealed plans for his next tour, which will focus on ports in the eastern region of the country.
According to him, the Apapa and Tin-Can Island Port tour was designed to facilitate interaction with NPA staff, clearing agents, and other port stakeholders.
“The tradition is that when you assume office as MD or as board chairman of NPA, you are expected to go on a tour of all facilities under your mandate. So, naturally, because Lagos is the bigger part of NPA, you start from Lagos, which is what we call the western ports. Then you now move to the Eastern ports, that is, Port Harcourt, Calabar, and all that.
“And then, even in Lagos, you start from Apapa, which is bigger than Tin-Can Island port. So, I think it’s just part of the tradition, and then to familiarise yourself with what is on ground and also to see people and have a discussion around how to move the organisation forward,” Dantsoho stated.
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