The Federal Government is working to link the nation’s seaports to the hinterland to boost economic growth through improved transportation logistics.
Marine and Blue Economy Minister Adegboyega Oyetola announced this yesterday at this year’s edition of Transportation Correspondents’ Association of Nigeria (TCAN) summit.
The minister, who was represented by the Director of Inland Transport Services at the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA), Mr. Paul Garnuwa, noted that transportation logistics determines how efficiently goods move from production to consumption and how effectively Nigeria connects to regional and global markets.
The cost, speed, reliability, and predictability of that movement, he said, ‘have direct implications for investment, production, trade and employment’.
Oyetola said one of the most significant steps in this direction ‘is the comprehensive modernisation of Nigeria’s seaports’.
He added: ‘With the approval of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the ministry is set to commence the country’s most ambitious seaport modernisation programme in more than five decades.
‘For the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, this means that the performance of our ports and waterways cannot be considered in isolation. They are important components of the wider transport and logistics chain, which also includes roads, rail, inland waterways, warehouses, and distribution networks.’
The minister said the programme ‘covers Apapa and Tin Can Island Ports in Lagos, Onne Port, Rivers Port, Calabar Port, and Warri Port’.
Explaining how the programme would take shape, Oyetola said: ‘It involves the reconstruction of quay walls, deepening of channels to accommodate larger vessels, replacement of obsolete cargo-handling equipment and further digitalisation of terminal and gate operations.
‘The objective is to increase capacity, reduce vessel and cargo-handling delays, lower unit logistics costs and ensure that our principal maritime gateways remain fit for the requirements of modern international trade.’
He stressed that the programme ‘is particularly important because port efficiency affects the entire logistics chain’.
According to him, a delay at the port does not remain at the port.
‘It affects manufacturers waiting for inputs, exporters waiting for vessels, transport operators, distributors and, ultimately, consumers.
‘The progress recorded at our ports is already reflected in independent international benchmarking. The 2025 Container Port Performance Index, produced by the World Bank and S and P Global Market Intelligence, ranked Tin Can Island Port as the 10th and Lagos Port Complex, Apapa, as the 12th among the world’s 20 most improved container ports between 2020 and 2025. The index measures port performance principally through vessel time in port and provides a data-based assessment of operational efficiency.’
This recognition, the minister noted, ‘is encouraging, but it also reinforces the need to sustain the reforms’.
He said: ‘Our objective is to deliver shorter turnaround times, more predictable cargo movement and a more competitive trading environment.’
Oyetola stated that another important development ‘has been the removal of the United States Coast Guard’s Conditions of Entry on vessels arriving from Nigeria. For 12 years, Nigerian ports were subject to additional security-related requirements by the United States. ‘Following sustained efforts to strengthen compliance with the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code, improve access controls and address identified security gaps, the United States Coast Guard, in August 2026, announced the removal of the Conditions of Entry for vessels arriving from Nigeria. This is significant for our logistics and trade objectives. It strengthens confidence in Nigeria’s port-security arrangements and removes additional procedures that had affected vessels travelling from Nigerian ports to the United States (U.S.A).’
He stressed that Nigeria ‘cannot depend indefinitely on a limited number of existing port corridors to serve a growing economy. The Ministry is therefore working with sub-national governments and private-sector partners to advance deep seaport developments in several coastal states, including Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Ogun, Ondo, and Rivers. The purpose is to expand port capacity, create additional maritime and logistics corridors, reduce pressure on existing gateways and bring economic activities closer to different parts of our coastline.’
Oyetola said the projects ‘also demonstrate the importance of collaboration between the Federal Government, state governments, and private investors’. The Federal Government’s role includes providing the necessary regulatory framework, facilitating inter-agency coordination and supporting viable public-private partnership structures.
‘The regulatory environment is equally important to efficient logistics. Infrastructure without predictable regulation will not deliver its full economic value. This is why the enactment of the Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency Act 2026 is an important reform. With the establishment of NPERA as the statutory economic regulator for the ports, Nigeria now has a permanent institutional framework for regulating tariffs and charges, service standards, competition and the protection of port users. The reform provides clearer rules for terminal operators, shipping lines and logistics service providers, while providing port users with a more structured framework for addressing commercial and regulatory issues.’
If Nigeria is to reduce the cost of moving goods, the minister stressed, ‘we must improve infrastructure’.
He added: ‘If we are to improve infrastructure, we must also improve regulation, security, technology, and coordination across the transport system. We must equally strengthen the links between the seaports and the hinterland. The efficiency of a port is ultimately determined by how quickly cargo can leave the port and reach its destination.’