As Nigeria embarks on a transformative journey to revamp its maritime infrastructure, the Eastern Ports are beginning to emerge as crucial players in the nation’s economic resurgence ahead of 2025.
The revamping has become necessary with the move by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to rehabilitate the heavily congested Apapa and Tin-Can Island Ports in Lagos.
This would create a strategic window of opportunity for the Eastern Ports to open up its doors to fresh opportunities that lie ahead of it.
Maritime analysts predict that the port capacity shortages that are likely to follow the massive rehabilitation of the Western Ports will lead to diverted cargo traffic heading to the Eastern Ports.
This anticipated diversion of Lagos-bound vessels underscores the urgent need to spotlight the potential of the Eastern Ports as the new cornerstone of Nigeria’s marine and blue economy.
Transforming the Eastern Ports into efficient, high-capacity hubs that not only alleviate the strain on Lagos is now more necessary than ever because it will prevent the redirection of Nigerian-bound cargoes to neighboring countries due to the envisaged port capacity constraints.
The strategic enhancement of the Eastern Ports is not merely a regional development; it is a national imperative.
As the Western ports brace for an extensive overhaul, the Eastern Ports stand at the cusp of unprecedented growth, poised to anchor Nigeria’s marine economy and safeguard its position in the competitive landscape of global trade.
Expectedly, the more vessel traffic that will be directed to the Eastern Ports is also expected to improve Nigeria’s ranking on World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index, make the nation’s ports more globally competitive, promote the ease of doing business across the nation, improve general export activities and increase government revenue.
Stakeholders in the maritime sector have agreed that a viable eastern ports will promote massive improvement in shipping and cargo operations in the Calabar, Old Port-Harcourt, and Warri ports and by implication shippers in the Middle Belt, Northeast, Southeast, and South-South region may never need to consign their cargo to Lagos but will gladly explore available options like Warri, Calabar, and a massively improved Port-Harcourt/Onne port to choose from.
This hindsight might be the reason why the Managing Director of NPA, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, recently embarked on a tour of the Eastern Ports.
This is also in continuation of his resolve to galvanize port concessionaires and terminal operators into increasing their In-Country investments in Port infrastructure equipment.
This visit which was coming on the heels of his tour of Lagos Ports of Apapa and Tin-Can earlier on 27th November, 2024 signposts the current administration’s readiness to deepen Nigeria’s competitiveness in vessel and cargo traffic to match the needs of Nigeria’s huge population of over 200 million inhabitants.
The tour covered BRAWAL Oil Services Ltd, Onne Multipurpose Terminal, INTELS, INDORAMA, West African Container Terminal (WACT) and NOTORE and the terminals at Rivers Port Complex Port Harcourt.
Dantsoho’s revitalization efforts are not just improving the physical infrastructure but also enhancing operational efficiency and competitiveness, ensuring that these ports can meet the demands of modern maritime trade.
With the implementation of new crime prevention strategies, the security situation has significantly improved, creating a safe and stable environment for port activities.
This renewed focus on security has bolstered confidence among businesses and port users, encouraging greater patronage and investment in the region.
The collaborative synergy between various stakeholders, including government agencies and private sector players, has been instrumental in addressing longstanding challenges.
Through continuous dialogue and shared goals, there is a concerted effort to streamline operations, reduce bottlenecks and create a more business-friendly environment.
These partnerships are vital in promoting the Eastern Ports as attractive destinations for international trade and investment.
The ongoing initiatives and the unwavering commitment of all involved parties signal a promising future.
As these ports continue to evolve and expand their capabilities, they are set to play a crucial role in driving Nigeria’s economic growth and integration into the global maritime economy.
The optimism surrounding the Eastern Ports is well-founded, as they transform into efficient, secure and highly competitive gateways, ready to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future.
The horizon for the Eastern Ports is indeed bright, heralding a new era of prosperity and development for the region.
During the tour, Dantsoho stressed that “with the quantum of investments our maritime neighbors especially along the West & Central African Coast are attracting, we can only stay competitive if we redouble our investment drive in order to provide requisite infrastructure and equipment to attract the sizes of vessels that scale up our cargo throughput to adequately serve our huge population”.
“As far as this management is concerned, we have the mandate of the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy Adegboyega Oyetola to create the enablers for increased investment, and we are poised to do just that.”
“Let me seize this moment to reiterate my earlier plea to investors to take maximum advantage of the investor-friendliness of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR to infuse greater Investment and be assured of guaranteed return on investment,” he added.
The NPA helmsman who was recently elected as the first ever Nigerian President of the Port Management Association of West & Central Africa (PMAWCA) concluded the tour by stating that “the reality of Nigerian Ports processing Two Million Containers of cargo to service a population of over Two Hundred Million is an anomaly that has to be urgently addressed through deployment of huge investments.”
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