Funso OLOJO, Editor

APM Terminals has commenced discussions with the Federal Government on extending its concession agreements for the Lagos Port Complex, Apapa, and the West Africa Container Terminal (WACT) at Onne Port beyond their 2030 expiration dates.

The Danish terminal operator also agreed to explore the development of the proposed Badagry Deep Seaport, signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the project developers during a high-level meeting with the Federal Government delegation led by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, in Copenhagen on Monday, September 7th, 2026.

The development represents a major potential expansion of Nigeria’s deep-sea port capacity and could significantly strengthen the country’s position as a regional transshipment hub.

APM Terminals signed 25-year concession agreements with the Federal Government in 2005 to operate terminals at Apapa and Onne. The agreements are due to expire in 2030.

The company’s interest in extending the concessions was disclosed during the Copenhagen meeting, where discussions centred on further long-term investment in Nigeria’s maritime infrastructure.

The Badagry MoU, meanwhile, marks a significant step towards advancing the proposed greenfield port project, which is expected to provide additional deepwater capacity, accommodate larger container vessels and create new transshipment opportunities for Nigeria and the wider West African market.

The agreement was signed by the Group Chief Executive Officer of A.P. Moller–Maersk, Vincent Clerc, on behalf of APM Terminals, and the Managing Director of Badagry Port Development Limited and Quinn McGrath Marine and Environmental Services Limited, Didi Ndiomu.

Under the agreement, the parties will enter into exclusive negotiations to explore the development of Badagry Port, with APM Terminals expressing its commitment to advancing the project.

The proposed port is expected to complement existing facilities by providing a new deepwater gateway capable of handling larger vessels and increasing cargo volumes, while also creating capacity for regional transshipment.

Speaking on the development, Oyetola said the Federal Government was committed to modernising Nigeria’s maritime infrastructure and creating an enabling environment for long-term private-sector investment.

“Our engagement in Denmark underscores the Federal Government’s commitment to modernizing Nigeria’s maritime infrastructure and unlocking the full potential of our blue economy.

“Partnering with global terminal operators like APM Terminals to explore strategic greenfield developments such as the Badagry Port is central to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision of positioning Nigeria as West Africa’s premier trade and logistics hub,” he said.

The minister’s delegation also held discussions with senior representatives of the Danish government and other stakeholders in the Danish maritime industry as part of efforts to deepen bilateral maritime cooperation and attract investment into Nigeria’s port infrastructure.

At the meeting with APM Terminals, the extension of the company’s concessions at Apapa and WACT, Onne, featured prominently.

Managing Director, Africa & Europe, APM Terminals, Igor van den Essen, said the company viewed long-term investment in its existing concessions and the development of Badagry as complementary strategies for strengthening Nigeria’s maritime economy.

“APM Terminals is keen to contribute to Nigeria’s economic growth and position as a trade hub in West Africa.

“We believe further investing long-term in our concessions in Apapa and Onne helps doing that, and we were pleased to have a constructive dialogue about that today.

“Additionally, developing Badagry as a greenfield project will further ease congestions in city ports and further open new opportunities,” he said.

Van den Essen said APM Terminals was encouraged by the Federal Government’s ambition to expand trade, attract investment and strengthen Nigeria’s position as a leading maritime gateway in West Africa.

“We strongly believe that public-private partnerships help us deliver results that support growth because they drive long-term investment, a better business environment and, thereby, competitiveness in a rapidly developing market,” he added.

For the Badagry Port developers, the partnership with APM Terminals could herald a new phase in Nigeria’s maritime development.

Ndiomu described the proposed investment as a significant step towards transforming Nigeria into a major maritime and logistics centre in sub-Saharan Africa.

“Investing in maritime infrastructure and especially in Badagry as a greenfield port project together with APM Terminals is the beginning of Nigeria becoming the true maritime capital of sub-Saharan Africa in full alignment with the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ambitious maritime growth strategy,” he said.

The proposed Badagry Deep Seaport is expected to expand Nigeria’s port network by enabling larger container vessels to call at the country while improving supply-chain resilience and opening new trade opportunities.

Beyond serving the Nigerian market, the project could also strengthen the country’s capacity to compete for regional transshipment business, with cargo destined for other West and Central African markets potentially handled through the strategically located deepwater facility.

With the proposed extension of the Apapa and Onne concessions and APM Terminals’ renewed interest in the Badagry greenfield project, the Copenhagen engagement could therefore mark the beginning of a broader long-term investment partnership between Nigeria and one of the world’s leading port operators.

Gloria Odion, Maritime Reporter

The Federal Government’s ongoing reforms in the maritime sector are beginning to yield measurable results, with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) recording significant growth in cargo throughput, vessel traffic, container movements and vehicle traffic in the second quarter (Q2) of 2026.

The development is contained in the NPA’s Operational Performance Report for Q2 2026, which showed an overall improvement in activities across the nation’s seaports.

Analysis of the report indicated that most key performance indicators recorded positive growth during the quarter, reflecting increased vessel calls, cargo volumes, container traffic and port utilisation.

Commenting on the performance, the Managing Director of the NPA, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, said the increase in cargo volumes and ship calls underscored the resilience of Nigerian ports and their growing capacity to facilitate trade and enhance competitiveness.

Cargo throughput rose by 12.3 per cent, from 31,825,592 metric tonnes recorded in Q2 2025 to 35,740,362 metric tonnes in Q2 2026.

By trade type, inward cargo accounted for 56.8 per cent of total cargo handled, while outward cargo represented 41.9 per cent.

Transshipment cargo contributed 488,364 metric tonnes, representing approximately 1.4 per cent of total throughput.

The report showed that inward cargo increased by 7.7 per cent, while outward cargo grew by 22 per cent, indicating a significant improvement in export activity during the period under review. There was also a substantial increase in ocean-going vessel traffic.

The number of ocean-going vessels completed rose from 1,050 in Q2 2025 to 1,201 in Q2 2026, representing a 14.4 per cent increase.
Similarly, the Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT) of ocean-going vessels increased by 22.2 per cent, from 40.87 million tonnes to 49.95 million tonnes.

Service boat operations also recorded strong growth during the quarter. The number of service boats completed increased by 22.3 per cent, from 3,554 to 4,347, while the associated GRT climbed by 62.4 per cent, from 1.06 million tonnes to 1.73 million tonnes.

Container traffic also maintained its upward trajectory, increasing by 11.3 per cent from 541,229 TEUs in Q2 2025 to 602,392 TEUs in Q2 2026.

According to the report, inward laden containers increased by 6.3 per cent and accounted for approximately 51.5 per cent of total container traffic.

Outward laden containers, however, declined marginally by 3.9 per cent, while empty container traffic increased by 13.9 per cent compared with the corresponding period of 2025.

Of particular significance was the emergence of transshipment container traffic, which stood at 29,038 TEUs during the quarter, compared with no recorded movement in Q2 2025.

The NPA said the development reflected the growing importance of transshipment operations within the Nigerian port system.

Vehicle traffic also recorded significant growth, with 44,147 units handled in Q2 2026 compared with 37,306 units in Q2 2025, representing an 18.3 per cent increase.

The report attributed the increase largely to improved automobile import activities and greater stability in the foreign exchange market.

The NPA identified the continued expansion of transshipment traffic as one of the major developments during the quarter, noting that its growth could strengthen Nigeria’s position as a regional maritime hub.

“The emergence and continued growth of transshipment traffic continues to position Nigerian ports as an emerging regional transshipment hub,” the report stated.

It added that the completion of ongoing port modernisation projects, sustained investment in infrastructure and deeper commercial engagement with shipping lines would further enhance Nigeria’s prospects in the transshipment market.

Overall, the authority described the second quarter performance as encouraging, with positive growth recorded across most major operational indicators, particularly cargo throughput, ship traffic, container movements, vehicle traffic and berth utilisation.

“The Second Quarter of 2026 recorded encouraging operational performance across the Nigerian ports, with sustained growth in ship traffic, cargo throughput, container movements, vehicle traffic, and berth utilisation,” the report stated.

Dantsoho said the NPA’s core priority for 2026 was a massive infrastructure overhaul, complemented by digital reforms and improvements in operational efficiency.

According to him, stakeholders should expect visible progress on the ground, beginning with the groundbreaking of major port modernisation projects.

He identified the modernisation of the Apapa and Tin Can Island ports as the centrepiece of the authority’s infrastructure programme, noting that both facilities had become outdated, with Apapa approaching a century in operation and Tin Can Island more than 50 years old.

He added that the NPA was supporting the development of the Lekki and Badagry deep-sea ports to accommodate larger vessels, while efforts were also being intensified to revitalise the Eastern Ports and reduce the pressure on Lagos.

On digital transformation, Dantsoho said the authority was prioritising the full implementation of the Port Community System (PCS) to streamline port operations and eliminate manual bottlenecks.

The PCS, he said, would complement the National Single Window (NSW), which became operational in the first quarter of 2026, creating a more integrated digital trade ecosystem.

He further said the NPA was deploying technology-driven security measures to support 24-hour port operations while strengthening collaboration with customs agents and other stakeholders to tackle congestion and improve cargo evacuation.

With these measures, the NPA is positioning Nigeria to become a major trade and logistics hub in West Africa.

The expected outcomes, Dantsoho said, include faster port operations, lower logistics costs, increased trade volumes and improved competitiveness for Nigerian exports.

Monday Discourse with Nasiru Ibrahim 

Nigeria’s maritime sector has reached a critical turning point where manual clearing systems can no longer support our economic growth.

For decades, our ports have been choked by slow paper trails, physical examinations, and long human queues.

These bottlenecks do not just delay cargoes; they cost businesses billions of Naira in daily demurrage and drive inflation across the country.

As we enter a new economic era, the launch of the National Single Window initiative represents our best chance to modernise.

To truly understand how this transformation works, we must look at the blueprint already operating successfully at the Lekki Deep Sea Port.

The success of the Lekki model relies entirely on one core engine: digital automation.

Unlike older ports that were built around manual handovers, Lekki was designed from the ground up to be a paperless ecosystem.

By automating the entire cargo journey from vessel berthing to gate clearance, it has shown that technology can eliminate human error and bureaucratic corruption.

The integration of high-speed container scanners, automated gate systems, and digital manifest processing has slashed vessel turnaround times from several days to just a few hours.

This is the practical standard that the National Single Window aims to scale across all Nigerian Ports.

The most visible impact of this digital shift is the removal of human contact in the clearing chain.

When clearing agents, customs officials, and terminal operators interact face-to-face over physical paperwork, delays and extortion become inevitable.

Lekki’s digital automation bypasses this vulnerability completely. It allows shipping lines and clearing agents to upload documents, track clearances, and make payments online from any location.

This transparent system ensures that every cargo movement is logged in real time. It removes the arbitrary delays that have frustrated Nigerian importers for generations.

Furthermore, digital automation has transformed port logistics beyond the waterfront.

In traditional ports, thousands of trucks queue along access roads for weeks, causing severe gridlock because they lack real-time scheduling information.

Lekki fixes this by using an automated truck call-up system that is linked directly to terminal operations.

Trucks are only allowed to approach the port when their containers are cleared and ready for pickup.

This smooth coordination keeps the access corridors free of traffic, cuts down transport costs, and proves that port efficiency requires a digital bridge between the sea and the land.

However, the real power of the Lekki model will only be unlocked when it is fully integrated into the National Single Window network.

While Lekki operates as an efficient digital island, the National Single Window will connect it directly with the central systems of the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigerian Ports Authority, and key regulatory agencies like NAFDAC and SON.

This total alignment means a single digital entry will clear goods across all agencies at the same time.

It will turn Nigeria from a high-cost maritime destination into West Africa’s leading shipping hub.

We can no longer afford to run a twenty-first-century economy with twentieth-century Port procedures.

The Lekki model proves that digital automation is not a futuristic luxury; it is an urgent economic necessity.

By adopting this automated framework for the National Single Window, Nigeria can finally eliminate port delays, protect government revenue, and give our businesses the fast, transparent, and world-class trade environment they deserve.

Chief Ibrahim Nasiru,a public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja