Adegboyega Oyetola, minister of marine and blue economy, says the federal government has approved the development of additional deep seaports across the country as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s maritime infrastructure and supply chain capacity.
Oyetola spoke while declaring open the mid-year session of the board of directors of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) in Lagos.
The event, themed “Ports of the Future: Combining Logistical Resilience with Inclusive Community Development,” brought together maritime stakeholders and industry leaders across the sub-region.
Speaking at the event, the minister said the new deep seaports would complement existing infrastructure, improve operational efficiency, and reinforce Nigeria’s position in regional trade and logistics.
“Approvals have therefore been granted for the development of additional deep seaports across the country to complement existing infrastructure, strengthen supply chain resilience, and reinforce Nigeria’s position as the preferred maritime and logistics hub for West and Central Africa,” Oyetola said.
He said the administration of Bola Tinubu is also upgrading existing seaports through infrastructure modernisation, digital transformation, and channel deepening projects aimed at accommodating larger vessels.
According to Oyetola, coordinated reforms and stronger collaboration among government agencies have reduced logistics bottlenecks at major ports.
“These efforts have contributed to improved cargo evacuation, reduced vessel waiting time, greater operational efficiency, and a more predictable business environment for port users and investors,” he said.
The minister described the national single window initiative as a key reform expected to streamline cargo clearance through digital integration of port operations and government agencies.
On maritime security, Oyetola said the implementation of the Deep Blue Project had eliminated piracy in Nigerian waters and significantly reduced maritime crimes across the Gulf of Guinea.
Speaking earlier, Abubakar Dantsoho, managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and president of PMAWCA, said more than $27 billion worth of port projects are ongoing or recently announced across West and Central Africa.
Dantsoho cited projects including the $20 billion Simandou-Morebaya deep seaport project in Guinea, the $2 billion Port San Pedro project in Côte d’Ivoire, the $1.5 billion Lekki Deep Sea Port in Lagos, and a proposed $600 million investment by APM Terminals in Nigeria.
The NPA boss also said ports in West and Central Africa must move beyond their traditional role as cargo gateways and become drivers of broader blue economy growth.
