The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, has credited federal government policies for a rise of more than 25 per cent in Nigeria’s exports over the past two years.
Dantsoho made the remarks at the ongoing Annual World Ports Conference in London, organised by the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH).
He said Nigeria’s large population gives it an edge over its peers in West and Central Africa, and that recent reforms have sharply increased cargo throughput.
According to him, the export growth is not limited to oil and gas. Manufacturing and agriculture have also recorded higher volumes, including raw materials such as cocoa and cashew.
He attributed this to the partnership between the NPA and major terminal operators, including APM Terminals.
He said the authority has put measures in place to sustain the momentum, which is why it set up the Export Processing Terminal.
Nigeria now has about four of such terminals, where the NPA works with terminal operators, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other agencies so that export cargo is processed locally and meets standards before leaving the country.
Dantsoho said Nigeria is now better positioned to benefit from the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) because of the present administration’s reforms.
He said the reforms are attracting investors and enabling Nigeria to lead other African countries in promoting free and fair intra-African trade.
He noted that Nigeria and Morocco are exchanging ideas, as Morocco has become a hub for manufacturing electric and other smaller cars.
The reforms, he added, explain why two Nigerian ports appear in the top 20 of the latest World Bank global ports ranking.
The NPA boss said revenue from ports across the country has quadrupled as a result of the reforms.
He credited the increase in volumes and revenue to collaboration with partners and said port efficiency in Nigeria is now far better than in other West African countries.
As president of the Association of Ports in West and Central Africa, he said, he has access to the same performance dashboard used to track ports across the region.
He added that ports in Tanzania and Kenya have also improved, and that Nigeria must consolidate its gains and keep progressing so that distractions do not slow it down.
He said the authority will continue to deepen its relationships with major players in Morocco and South Africa.
Dantsoho said the federal government is investing $1 billion to expand and modernise the Apapa ports as part of its medium to long term plan.
He explained that such a project requires heavy investment and partnership with private sector players who have the capital, including APM Terminals.
On technology, he said the NPA partnered with a Singapore firm about a year ago to develop a single window system. It is now working with a company from Abu Dhabi on a port community system.
He added that the partnerships are not limited to government and private firms, as businesses in the private sector also have business-to-business relationships.
