Blue Economy
CARGO DIVERSION ALARM: Nigeria Could Lose Up to 25% of Port Traffic to Cotonou, Tema, Lomé — SEREC
CARGO DIVERSION ALARM: Nigeria Could Lose Up to 25% of Port Traffic to Cotonou, Tema, Lomé — SEREC
By Joyce Davies | Waterways News | Blue Economy Desk
Nigeria’s status as West Africa’s dominant maritime hub is under serious threat, with a new policy advisory warning that a quarter of cargo currently destined for Nigerian ports could migrate to rival ports in Benin Republic, Ghana, and Togo within the next two years if urgent reforms are not implemented.
The warning comes from the Sea Empowerment and Research Centre (SEREC), in a report titled Maritime Reform at a Crossroads: Data Signals Export Concerns and the Urgent Need for Execution Discipline, which assessed port performance across the first quarter of 2026.
While revenue generated by the Nigeria Customs Service grew by an estimated 12 to 18 percent in Q1 2026, key performance indicators across Nigerian ports remain deeply troubling. Cargo dwell time has exceeded 15 days on average, while vessel turnaround ranges between four and six days — far above global best practices.
The numbers paint a picture of a sector collecting more money while delivering less efficiency — a paradox that SEREC says is quietly bleeding Nigeria’s competitive edge.
Non-oil exports declined by approximately 8 to 12 percent, signalling a gradual erosion of Nigeria’s competitiveness in the export market. Agro exports have been particularly affected, raising concerns about the country’s economic diversification goals.
SEREC’s research identifies a structural problem at the heart of Nigeria’s port operations: between 90 and 95 percent of port cargo is evacuated by road via trucks, with just seven percent moved by inland waterways through barges and five percent by rail. This near-total dependence on road haulage has, according to SEREC’s Head of Research Dr. Eugene Nweke, created chronic port congestion, sky-high logistics costs, and rapid deterioration of road infrastructure — all of which make Nigerian ports less attractive to international shipping lines.
The consequences, industry players warn, are already being felt. Shipping lines, faced with delays and rising costs, increasingly prefer nearby ports where turnaround times are faster and operations more predictable, even when the final destination of the cargo is Nigeria.
Maritime expert and Senior Advocate Olisa Agbakoba has noted that while 80 percent of all containers headed to West and Central Africa are ultimately destined for Nigeria, less than 20 percent actually arrive at Nigerian ports — a striking gap that points directly to the scale of cargo already being diverted.
A recent analysis by Dynanmar, a Dutch consultancy firm, estimates that Nigeria loses approximately N20 billion daily at its ports due to poor infrastructure and inefficiencies, with most of that revenue flowing to neighbouring ports — particularly Cotonou, Tema, and Lomé.
SEREC puts a timeline on the danger. Between 15 and 25 percent of Nigeria-bound cargo could shift to these neighbouring ports within the next 12 to 24 months if reforms are not urgently implemented, stressing that cargo naturally flows toward more efficient systems regardless of geographic proximity.
The implications stretch far beyond port revenue. Cargo diversion inflates the cost of imports, weakens local manufacturing, erodes government earnings, and triggers job losses across the logistics and maritime value chain — from truck operators and freight forwarders to warehouse operators and factory workers.
SEREC has also flagged a specific threat to Nigeria’s waterway infrastructure. Inland waterways, which could serve as a viable alternative for cargo movement, remain largely underutilised despite Nigeria’s vast potential. The Guardian Nigeria Nigeria’s network of rivers, creeks, and coastal channels — if properly integrated into the port logistics chain — could significantly ease pressure on congested road corridors and cut evacuation costs for shippers.
On the policy front, there are reasons for cautious optimism. The Federal Government’s infrastructure renewal plan targets key facilities including Apapa Port, Tin Can Island Port, Port Harcourt Port, Warri Port, and Calabar Port, while the National Single Window initiative aims to simplify trade procedures and reduce bureaucratic delays.President Tinubu’s state visit to the United Kingdom also produced a £746 million financing agreement for the modernisation of Apapa and Tin Can Island ports.
But SEREC insists that physical upgrades alone will not be enough without execution discipline. Dr. Nweke has called for reforms focused on improving cargo processing efficiency, streamlining terminal operations, strengthening export support systems, and critically, activating Nigeria’s dormant inland waterways network as a genuine logistics alternative.
SEREC forecasts that 2026 will be the defining year — the moment that determines whether ongoing reforms in port automation, National Single Window rollout, cost reduction, and improved intermodal systems translate into enhanced global competitiveness, or whether persistent high cargo dwell times and above-regional port costs continue to suppress growth.
For Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, the clock is ticking.
Waterways News | Blue Economy Desk
Tinubu Places Hydrography at Heart of Nigeria’s Maritime Agenda — Matawalle
By Okeoghene Onoriobe, Lagos Correspondent
The Federal Government has signalled a renewed commitment to hydrography as a strategic pillar of Nigeria’s maritime development, with the Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Bello Muhammad Matawalle, declaring that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has placed the discipline at the centre of the nation’s maritime priorities.
Matawalle made the declaration on Wednesday in Abuja while receiving the Hydrographer of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer of the National Hydrographic Agency (NHA), Rear Admiral O.O. Fadahunsi, who led a management delegation on a courtesy visit to the minister.
Federal Government Reaffirms Support for NHA
In a statement released through his Personal Assistant on Media, Ahmad Dan-Wudil, the minister said the Federal Government remains firmly committed to strengthening Nigeria’s hydrographic infrastructure to support improved marine navigation, defence operations, and ocean-based economic activities.
Matawalle stressed that the National Hydrographic Agency occupies a critical position in Nigeria’s broader maritime ambitions, particularly in the Gulf of Guinea — a zone where overlapping concerns over maritime security and resource governance continue to demand sustained governmental attention.
He noted that hydrographic work underpins the country’s emerging Blue Economy agenda, which seeks to expand maritime trade while ensuring the sustainable exploitation of ocean and riverine resources.
Nigeria Positioned for Regional Leadership
The minister expressed confidence that existing policy frameworks under the Renewed Hope administration have positioned Nigeria to assume a leadership role in hydrography across the West African sub-region. He pledged that government support would be sustained to improve navigational safety, enhance maritime security, and deepen scientific data generation to serve national development objectives.
Rear Admiral Fadahunsi, for his part, commended the minister for what he described as consistent support and visionary leadership. He affirmed the agency’s readiness to work in concert with relevant ministries, departments, and agencies to strengthen intergovernmental coordination and build greater hydrographic resilience. Both parties indicated that the meeting focused on expanding Nigeria’s hydrographic capacity in line with global maritime standards.
Nigeria Watch
For the Nigerian maritime sector, this development carries significant operational implications.
Hydrography — the science of measuring and describing the physical features of navigable waters — is the often-overlooked backbone of safe shipping, port operations, and offshore resource extraction. Without current, accurate hydrographic data, vessels navigating Nigeria’s coastal waters, the Niger Delta creeks, and the nation’s inland waterways do so at elevated risk.
The National Hydrographic Agency, which is mandated to produce and maintain nautical charts covering Nigerian waters, has historically operated with limited visibility in national maritime policy discussions. Its elevation to a stated priority under the Tinubu administration — articulated at the level of the Defence Ministry — signals a more integrated, security-conscious approach to maritime domain awareness.
For port operators, shipping companies, and offshore energy stakeholders, a well-funded and operationally capable NHA translates directly to more reliable navigational data, reduced insurance risk premiums, and safer routing in Nigeria’s busiest sea lanes. For NIMASA and the Nigerian Navy, improved hydrographic coverage strengthens the infrastructure for maritime domain awareness and threat response in the Gulf of Guinea, where Nigeria continues to assert its role as the dominant maritime power.
The blue economy dimension is equally noteworthy. Hydrographic surveys are a prerequisite for viable offshore wind energy development, aquaculture zoning, and the delimitation of maritime boundaries — all areas where Nigeria’s policy ambitions have outpaced technical groundwork. If this stated presidential prioritisation translates into budgetary commitments and institutional capacity-building for the NHA, it could mark a foundational shift in how Nigeria approaches its vast but under-mapped maritime estate.
Stakeholders will be watching to see whether the rhetoric of prioritisation is matched by concrete resource allocation in the next budget cycle.
NIMASA Positions Nigeria as Regional Hub for Digital Seafarer Certification
Agency hosts Gambian officials on four-day knowledge exchange visit
By Okeoghene Onoriobe | Waterways News
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has taken another stride in cementing Nigeria’s status as a reference point for maritime digitalisation in Africa, hosting a delegation from the Gambia Maritime Administration (GMA) on a four-day study visit centred on seafarer certification systems and regulatory best practices.
The visit, which brought together officials from both West African maritime authorities, underscored the deepening of regional cooperation in building secure, efficient and internationally compliant frameworks for seafarer documentation — an area in which Nigeria has recorded measurable progress under the current administration.
Nigeria’s Digital Credentials on Display
Speaking on behalf of NIMASA Director-General, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, the agency’s Executive Director of Operations, Fatai Adeyemi, framed the engagement as both a diplomatic milestone and a validation of Nigeria’s expanding footprint in African maritime governance.
Adeyemi said NIMASA was pleased to share its hard-won experience in digitalising seafarer documentation and certification processes, observing that the Gambia’s decision to study Nigeria’s model reflected growing international recognition of the country’s progress in maritime administration and human capital development.
“There is always something to learn from one another. Such engagements strengthen regional cooperation and help build a more efficient and globally competitive maritime sector across Africa,” Adeyemi said.
He credited the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, headed by Minister Adegboyega Oyetola, with providing the policy direction and institutional support that has driven NIMASA’s digital transformation agenda in recent years.
Scope of the Exchange
During technical sessions held across the visit, officials from both agencies engaged on the issuance of seafarers’ medical certificates, examination procedures, Certificates of Proficiency, and the anti-fraud measures designed to bolster the credibility and international recognition of certification documents.
The sessions were described as practically oriented, with demonstrations of NIMASA’s digital platforms forming a key component of the programme.
Leader of the Gambian delegation, Falu Sey — who serves as Manager of Ship Registry and Seafarers Affairs at the GMA — said Nigeria was specifically selected because of its track record in maritime development, digital transformation and Blue Economy policy implementation. Sey said the insights gained from the visit would directly inform efforts to modernise maritime administration and improve service delivery standards in Gambia.
Nigeria Watch
For Nigeria’s maritime sector, the Gambian study visit carries significance beyond diplomacy. NIMASA’s emergence as a preferred knowledge partner for peer African maritime authorities represents a dividend of the sustained investment in its digital infrastructure — including the modernisation of its seafarer certification and ship registry platforms that has gathered pace under Dr. Mobereola’s leadership.
The visit also arrives at a moment when NIMASA has been projecting Nigeria’s maritime governance credentials on the international stage. Just days ago, the agency signed a landmark ship registry modernisation partnership with Malta’s flag administration on the sidelines of Posidonia 2026 in Athens — another signal that Nigeria is actively positioning itself within the architecture of global maritime compliance and administration.
For Nigerian maritime stakeholders — from shipowners and crewing agencies to port operators and freight forwarders — the broader implication is that a more regionally authoritative NIMASA translates into stronger bilateral frameworks, more harmonised certification standards across West Africa, and potentially smoother crew documentation processes for Nigerian seafarers operating across the sub-region.
The question the sector will be watching is whether these gains in soft power and institutional diplomacy are matched by continued investment in NIMASA’s domestic infrastructure, including the resolution of longstanding concerns around turnaround times for seafarer documentation at home.
Waterways News | waterwaysnews.ng | Covering Nigeria’s Maritime, Ports, Shipping and Blue Economy
Lekki Deep Sea Port Races Towards Capacity Limit as Phase 2 Expansion Plans Take Shape
Governor Sanwo-Olu signals imminent commencement of next development phase; port MD cites AfCFTA opportunity as expansion rationale
By Okeoghene Onoriobe, Lagos Correspondent | Waterways News | June 12, 2026
Less than five years after receiving its first vessel, the Lekki Deep Sea Port is approaching the ceiling of its installed capacity — a development that Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu described as a testament to the facility’s commercial success, even as it signals an urgent need for further infrastructure investment.
Speaking at the Invest Lagos Summit 3.0, held on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Governor Sanwo-Olu announced that construction work on the port’s Phase 2 development will commence in the near term, positioning Lagos to retain its competitive edge as West Africa’s dominant maritime and logistics hub.
“Within five years, it is moving to Phase 2 because it is almost reaching the full potential of its installed capacity,” the Governor declared, framing the development not merely as aspiration but as an already-funded and progressing project.
AfCFTA Drives Expansion Logic
The Governor situated the Phase 2 push squarely within the continental trade architecture unlocked by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which has created a single market of more than 1.4 billion people with a combined GDP exceeding $3 trillion.
For the Lekki Port management and Lagos State alike, AfCFTA is not abstract policy — it is live commercial pressure. Cargo volumes moving through the Lekki corridor have grown rapidly since the port commenced operations, and its strategic location outside the congestion corridors of Lagos Island positions it as a natural gateway for goods transiting into the Nigerian hinterland and beyond into the landlocked economies of West and Central Africa.
Port MD Endorses Investment Climate
Wang Qiang, Managing Director of Lekki Port, used the Invest Lagos Summit to commend the Lagos State Government’s policy consistency, citing what he described as a stable and forward-looking environment for long-term maritime investment.
He outlined that the Phase 2 expansion would focus on widening the port’s cargo-handling capacity, improving logistics efficiency along the Lekki corridor, and drawing additional global shipping lines and logistics operators into the facility. The expansion, he added, would reinforce Lekki Port’s standing as a premier West African trade gateway under the AfCFTA framework.
What Phase 2 Means for the Sector
For Nigerian port operators, freight forwarders, terminal concessionaires, and shipowners, the Phase 2 announcement carries significant commercial implications. Lekki’s rapid approach to full installed capacity — if not addressed — risks replicating the congestion dynamics that have long afflicted Apapa and Tin Can Island, undermining the port’s core value proposition as a modern, efficient deep-sea alternative.
Timely Phase 2 construction would expand berth availability, deepen draught access for ultra-large container vessels, and reduce pre-berthing waiting times — factors that directly determine shipping line rotation decisions and freight rate competitiveness.
NIGERIA WATCH
The Lekki Phase 2 announcement, if backed by firm timelines and financial close in the near term, could reshape the competitive dynamics of Nigerian port development. Several deep-sea port projects — including the proposed Ibom Deep Sea Port in Akwa Ibom State and the long-discussed Badagry and Olokola facilities — are still at feasibility or pre-construction stages. Lekki’s ability to fast-track a Phase 2 expansion, building on existing investor confidence, Chinese development finance relationships, and operational momentum, gives it a structural advantage over greenfield contenders.
The National Ports Authority (NPA) and the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy will need to align on concession framework adjustments that accommodate Phase 2, including land allocation, access road infrastructure, and potential rail connectivity to the Lekki Free Trade Zone. NIMASA’s role in ensuring that expanded port capacity also translates into cabotage fleet utilisation and Nigerian seafarer employment will equally come under scrutiny as the expansion progresses.
The broader question for policymakers is whether Lekki’s success can be replicated as a model — or whether it remains an isolated enclave of port competitiveness in an otherwise fragmented national port system.
Waterways News | Your authoritative voice on Nigeria’s maritime, ports, and blue economy sector | www.waterwaysnews.ng
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