NPA Port Modernisation as Catalyst for Economic Growth.

By Joe Njoku, Global Freight News Magazine.

Nigeria’s Maritime Sector, the gateway through which over 80 per cent of the nation’s international trade flows, is undergoing a sweeping transformation, which is been midwife by the Managing Director of the Nigeria Ports Authority, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho. Anchored on port modernisation, digital trade facilitation, and institutional reform, the new maritime policy direction is designed to reposition Nigeria’s seaports as competive hubs within the global shipping ecosystem.

The Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) recently released it 2025 report showing that the nation’s maritime sector recorded a historic surge in activity, driven by increased cargo throughput, rising container traffic, and a growing export footprints — a development that underscores the federal government’s commitment to economic diversification.

The 2025 Operational Performance Report released by the authority revealed that total cargo throughput increased by 24.8% rising from approximately 103.6 million metric tons in 2024 to over 129.3 million metric tons in 2025.

The Managing Director of the authority described the growth as one of the most significant annual increase in Nigeria’s maritime history, noting that the milestone strengthens the country’s position as a more competitive and strategic player in regional and global trade. The outstanding performance did not just happened over night, it is a result of the transformative reforms of the federal government. For decades, the nation’s ports struggled with a lot of constraints.

However, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is reversing the trend through an ambitious reform programme driven by the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy under Adegboyega Oyetola and implemented largel by Nigeria Ports Authority under the leadership of its Managing Director, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho.
AT the centre of the reform strategy are two interconnected initiatives, the comprehensive modernisation of the ports infrastructure and the development of the National Single Window (NSW), a digital trade platform designed to streamline trade documentation and eliminate bureaucratic delays. Ahead of the flag off of NSW, the NPA put the structures in place and is fully ready for implementation. The authority being a a chance critical stakeholder in the NSW initiative has fully aligned its operational processes with the NSW platform. In furtherance, NPA has been part of the NSW committee, which has been working with the NSW Project Team, KPMG, and Crimson-logic. These engagements have focused on ensuring seamless integration of the Authority’s Revenue Invoice Management System (RIMS 2.0) with the NSW architecture. Several strategic, operational and technical decision have been taken to align with the current processes within the national framework. In line with phase 1 of the NSW go-live, NPA has participated in a series of technical and strategic engagement with the NSW Project Team, and implementation partners, complete initial User Acceptance Testing (UAT), inauguration of Transition Committee of the NSW and the development and delivery of all requested system