The Federal Government, through the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), continues to strengthen the national economy via record trade facilitation, infrastructural development, and enhanced operational efficiency.
A fresh $60 million investment in green port initiatives under President Bola Tinubu’s administration is set to transform NPA operations, with a renewed focus on local content development. Recent 2025 data highlights unprecedented growth, positioning Nigeria’s ports as key hubs of economic prosperity.
The NPA has made significant contributions to the nation’s economy. Sustained operational efficiencies helped Nigeria’s international trade reach N5.81 trillion in Q3 2024, resulting in a notable trade surplus. In Q3 2025, export-laden container volumes surged, and total cargo throughput rose by 16.2%. The agency also contributed N400.8 billion to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) in 2024, nearly doubling the previous year’s remittance.
The operationalisation of the Dangote Refinery Single Point Mooring (SPM) system is expected to attract more vessels annually, further boosting revenue. Additionally, NPA’s support for the presidential mandate to trade petroleum in Naira has helped preserve foreign exchange reserves and strengthen energy security.
By integrating Nigeria into the International Port Community System Association (IPCSA) and leading the National Single Window project, the NPA has ushered in greater transparency. Its leadership was recently recognised with an Award of Excellence for modernising maritime infrastructure.
Stakeholders say the NPA’s achievements in 2025 reflect the Federal Government’s focus on excellence and innovation through its agencies. These sustainability efforts are backed by record-breaking performance metrics. In Q3 2025 alone, export-laden container volumes soared by 1,085%, while total cargo throughput rose 16.2%, marking a remarkable period of maritime growth.
Container operations drove this growth, with total container traffic increasing 18.9% to 546,931 TEUs. Import-laden containers rose 33.1% to 268,713 TEUs, while export-laden containers jumped to 69,039 TEUs from 5,812 TEUs in Q3 2024.
“The sharp rise in export containers also led to a 21.5% reduction in empty container traffic, signalling improved balance between imports and exports and stronger non-oil export activity,” according to NPA’s operational data released in December.
Ship traffic also grew significantly, with vessel calls increasing 8.4% to 1,074 ships and total Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT) rising 18% to 42.64 million.
Lekki Deep Seaport emerged as the dominant growth driver, handling 46.8% of total cargo, followed by Onne Port with 17%. In terms of vessel size, Lekki Port received the largest ships, averaging a GRT of 57,244.
Attributing the strong performance to the Federal Government’s export-driven economic reforms and growing investor confidence, Dantsoho said:
“The figures reflect improved operational efficiency across all pilotage districts.”
