African ports risk serious economic disruption if they adopt artificial intelligence and other digital tools without building cybersecurity into their operations from the start, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, has warned.
Dantsoho, who is also President of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) and Vice President of the African Region of the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH), spoke recently at the African Ports Conference in Casablanca.
He urged stronger cyber defences, regional intelligence sharing and common digital standards across the continent’s ports.
He said cyberattacks on port infrastructure are no longer simply information technology problems. They can interrupt trade, disrupt cargo movement and weaken the reliability of maritime supply chains.
To make his case, he pointed to attacks on South Africa’s Transnet, the Port of Nagoya in Japan and DP World terminals in Australia.
“In July 2021, a cyberattack on Transnet forced South Africa’s container terminals to declare force majeure. In 2023, cyber incidents disrupted the Port of Nagoya and DP World terminals across Australia for days. These were not merely IT problems. They were interruptions to trade,” he said.
He stressed that the digital transformation of African ports must come with adequate protection for operational systems, cargo information, revenue collection and data exchange among port stakeholders.
“AI can help a port work more intelligently, but cybersecurity protects its ability to work at all,” he said.
Dantsoho warned that the growing interconnection of port systems, government agencies, shipping companies and terminal operators could create vulnerabilities without proper safeguards.
He cautioned against letting platforms built to simplify trade become weak points for whole port communities.
“A single window must not become a single point of failure,” he said.
Nigeria recently introduced the National Single Window and a beta version of the Port Community System to improve coordination among Customs, terminal operators, shipping lines and regulators.
Dantsoho said the benefits of such platforms depend on how well they are protected and on whether operations can continue during disruptions.
He outlined five principles for strengthening cybersecurity at Nigerian ports: Integrate cyber protection into broader port security arrangements, alongside physical security and relevant International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) and International Maritime Organization (IMO) requirements, Separate operational technology from administrative networks to stop an attack from spreading to critical infrastructure, Require connected partners, including terminal operators and technology providers, to meet agreed security standards, Test recovery systems, keep tested backups and establish practical alternatives for when digital systems fail, and Train personnel to recognise and report threats.
“A recovery plan is not proven because it exists. It is proven because it works,” he said.
He added that the success of digital transformation depends not only on acquiring technology but also on building the expertise and institutional discipline to run and protect it.
Beyond security, Dantsoho said AI could help African ports tackle long-standing problems such as vessel waiting times, cargo delays, inefficient truck movements, revenue leakages and unexpected equipment failures.
He said it could improve vessel arrival forecasts, berth planning and pilotage scheduling, and link truck appointments to yard capacity and vessel schedules so that gates, yards and quays work as one system.
On revenue assurance, it could compare cargo declarations, actual movements and applicable charges to flag inconsistencies without needlessly obstructing legitimate trade.
It could also support targeted cargo-risk assessments, spot unusual vessel behaviour and enable predictive maintenance.
He argued that a smart port should be judged by results rather than by how much technology it buys.
“A smart African port is not defined by how much technology it buys. It is defined by the performance it delivers. How quickly are vessels served? How long does cargo remain? What does it cost to move a container? Are systems reliable, and is revenue properly accounted for?
“These are the measures that give meaning to innovation,” he said.
He cautioned against adopting technology without clear goals.
“But every project needs discipline: a defined problem, a measurable target and an accountable owner.
“Prove the application before expanding it. And bring our people with us, pilots, engineers, crane operators, planners and revenue officers, with unions and operators engaged.
“The objective is not to replace professional judgement, but to strengthen it,” he said.
Dantsoho said the NPA oversees seven ports, from Lagos to Calabar, each with different infrastructure, cargo profiles and levels of digital maturity, so solutions must reflect local realities rather than a uniform approach.
He recalled that cargo once stayed at Lagos ports for as long as three weeks, while the Apapa access road, designed for about 2,400 trucks daily, carried more than 7,000. The congestion undermined reliability, increased delays and diverted trade.
The NPA began with basic operational problems before moving to advanced technology, he said.
“The Eto electronic truck call-up system helped address corridor gridlock. This year, we went live with the National Single Window and a beta version of the Port Community System, advancing digital coordination among Customs, terminals, shipping lines and regulators,” he said.
He pointed to the World Bank’s Container Port Performance Index 2025, released in June 2026, in which Tin Can Island Port ranked tenth and Apapa Port twelfth among the world’s most improved ports.
He added that Nigeria’s cargo throughput rose by 24.8 per cent to 129.3 million metric tonnes in 2025.
Acknowledging that the work is incomplete, he said the experience shows the need to lay reliable digital foundations before deploying AI widely.
“Our work is not complete. But the lesson is clear: digitalisation creates the information base; AI helps turn information into better decisions. We must build in that order,” he said.
The NPA is also carrying out a $1 billion modernisation programme for Apapa and Tin Can Island ports, which he said offers a chance to build in intelligent maintenance systems and secure digital infrastructure. Cybersecurity, he stressed, should be part of infrastructure projects from the design stage.
Dantsoho said no African port can tackle these challenges alone because trade routes, shipping schedules and cargo corridors are interconnected. A disruption at one port can affect others and inland destinations.
“Along the Abidjan–Lagos corridor, a delayed vessel can affect its next call. Cargo destined for Niger, Chad or Mali depends on effective links between ports, corridors and borders.
“If we modernise in isolation, we risk replacing paper-based fragmentation with digital fragmentation,” he said.
As PMAWCA president, he proposed four priorities for member ports: Share cyber threat intelligence through designated contacts, timely alerts and lessons from incidents, develop common data standards so different port platforms can exchange essential information, Benchmark port performance and strengthen professional training.
He said the NPA developed a benchmarking framework with the Port of Antwerp-Bruges and is ready to share it with other African ports and Engage technology suppliers and development partners to set common requirements on cybersecurity, interoperability, skills transfer and data sovereignty.
He also proposed a PMAWCA working group on AI and data governance, with cybersecurity and digital resilience included in its mandate, and asked each member port to pick one high-impact AI pilot with a baseline, an accountable team and a measurable target.
“Start with the problem, not the product,” he said.
Progress is to be reported at PMAWCA’s next Annual Council in Sipopo, Malabo, and the NPA will share both its successes and its challenges, he said.
Dantsoho said AI and interconnected platforms call for clear rules on the ownership, access, sharing and protection of port data. Port authorities, he said, should define data responsibilities under concession agreements and ensure technology contracts promote interoperability instead of dependence on single suppliers.
“Data sovereignty does not mean isolation. It means benefiting from innovation while retaining the capacity to govern its use,” he said.
“Without trust, institutions will not share information. Without shared information, the smart port remains an incomplete promise,” he added.
He said the ultimate aim of port digitalisation is to improve reliability, cut the cost of trade, strengthen security and deliver measurable economic benefits.
“The smart African port will not be judged by its dashboards.
“It will be judged by reliable vessel calls, shorter cargo dwell times, lower costs, secure systems and revenue properly accounted for.
“AI should help us anticipate and decide. Cybersecurity should help us protect and endure. Cooperation should help us advance together. Leadership must turn all three into results,” he said.
He urged African port authorities to work together to build facilities that are more digital, dependable and secure.
“The smart African port will not be imported. We will build it together,” Dantsoho said.
