2026: Dantsoho’s Ports Devt Programme and Renewed Optimism for Higher Grounds
Dantsoho, MD, NPA
By Francis Ugwoke
The striking promise of the present administration to Nigerians is the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu. This dominated his campaigns during the 2023 presidential election. On winning the election, President Tinubu has maintained this promise. In many sectors of the national economy, including the nation’s ports industry, the present administration has made efforts at impacting positively on people to have the effect of the promise being fulfilled. This has been seen in the agricultural sector with provisions of mechanization, modern tools and support for farmers. We have witnessed such programmes as Renewed Hope National Agricultural Mechanization Program (RHNAMP) . Under this, the government has provided for tractor financing and land allocation for specific crops. In the Housing sector, the President has launched Renewed Hope Cities and Estates Development Programme.
Similarly, in the Marine and Blue economy, there is no doubt that part of this was the creation of a separate Ministry for the Maritime sector. This has been the dream of stakeholders, and they were delighted when the news of the policy was broken. In line with this, the present Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy has focused on transforming marine resources for the sake of prosperity. This has been through reforms and investments in infrastructure, digital technology and innovation that will boost trade facilitation and revenue. In December last year, President Tinubu who spoke at the Presidential Villa through his Vice President Kashim Shettima at a programme in Abuja, said the administration is committed to converting Nigeria’s maritime potential into a major driver of economic diversification, job creation and long-term prosperity.
Tinubu said, “The blue economy offers a strategic pathway for diversifying our revenue base, creating sustainable employment and revitalising the ecosystems that sustain national development. If properly harnessed, this sector could become an anchor of shared prosperity for generations.” Indeed, this re-enforces the optimism of many in the sector for a more improved sector covering all areas.
NPA and Renewed Hope
For the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the past one year has been very eventful. There has been a lot of efforts at transforming the ports industry by the present management of the organization in line with the renewed hope agenda. As part of this, so much has been lined up by the organization for execution. And there cannot be a better time than this year (2026) to see so much in continuous fulfilment.
Infrastructure Renewal
In the past few months, the focus of the NPA management has been to rehabilitate decaying infrastructure to achieve efficiency in the system. In December last year, the NPA MD, Dr. Dantsoho gave an update on the project. At a Citizens’ Engagement Meeting involving the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Gboyega Oyetola, a port rehabilitation and modernization project programme to the tune of $1 bn was unveiled.
This involves total reconstruction of key ports and the implementation of a Port Community System (PCS). This is expected to be launched early in 2026.
The organization explained that the PCS concept originated in Europe during the 1970s to digitize maritime hubs like Rotterdam and Hamburg. Therefore, its adoption in Nigeria, the agency explained, is targeted in line with the federal government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Indication as explained by the management of the agency is that by “automating cargo handling and simplifying administrative processes, the PCS will act as a digital bridge to the National Single Window (NSW), eventually integrating aviation and rail logistics into a unified trade ecosystem”.
This project no doubt is expected to save millions of dollars annually by reducing vessel turnaround times and demurrage.
It is expected that Onne, Calabar, Warri, Port Harcourt, otherwise referred to as Eastern ports will not be left out. In the case of the Eastern ports, what is needed also include maintenance dredging to ensure that bigger vessels are able to come into the ports. Stakeholders believe that deepening the channels will lead to increase in cargo/vessel traffic. Besides, it will lead to increase in bigger ships calling at the ports.
Automation
Over the years, the NPA has been identified as having improved on its services through digital transformation. This has gone far with the policy of full automation and efficient truck management system, otherwise known as Eto electronic call up system at the ports. This has reduced congestion at roads leading to the ports as trucks are required to park and wait until called into the terminals. This has reduced congestion in the ports and created efficiency. This no doubt will position Nigeria more than ever before in becoming the transshipment hub in the West African sub-region. This will be a big boost to the national economy with lots of increased employment benefits.
Dantsoho’s Transformation Results
For industry stakeholders, the present chief executive of the NPA, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho has performed creditably. Appointed in July 2024, Dantsoho has been on the path of reinvigorating the organization and contributing in boosting the national economy by introducing different models that will promote efficiency in ports operations. Following increased ports efficiency, the country’s international trade in the third quarter of 2024 rose to ₦5.81 trillion. Recall that Dantsoho was instrumental to the implementation of the presidential mandate to trade petroleum in Naira. This policy reduced the glaring stress on Nigeria’s forex reserves, an achievement for which he has been commended. This has helped the economy tremendously. In addition, the NPA policy action added in promoting non-oil exports to the tune of 19.6% growth in H1 2025. Equally, under his leadership, Nigeria has been integrated into the global port systems in what has reduced logistics costs as vessel turnaround times are reduced. Nigeria has also been integrated into the International Port Community System Association (IPCSA) which is part of the move to the National Single Window project in the country. This earned Dantsoho the Award of Excellence for efforts in ports modernization.
It would be recalled that as at July 2025, a 349 TEU container vessel, of MV Ocean Dragon berthed at Nigerian ports. This was seen as a breakthrough for the maritime industry. The vessel owned by Clarion Shipping West Africa Limited, with Nigerian interest, is seen as having been part of the boost for regional trade and reduction for logistics costs.
Dantsoho had told stakeholders his management is fascinated by the fact that MV Ocean Dragon is wholly Nigerian, adding that this aligns with President Tinubu’s ‘Nigeria First’ policy and NPA’s focus on Nigerian content development.
Under the green port initiatives, it is expected that a $60 million investment is expected.
During the third quarter of last year, the Authority recorded export-laden container volumes rising by 1,085%. In this, total cargo throughput rose by 16.2%, a development that showed growth in the shipping sector. The total container traffic rose by 18.9% to 546,931 TEUs. Similarly, rise in import laden container was 33.1% to 268,713 TEUs. In the case of export-laden containers, it jumped to 69,039 TEUs from 5,812 TEUs in Q3 2024.
The agency’s operational data released in December showed, “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”. Ship traffic was not left out as the percentage of vessels that called at the ports rose from 8.4% to 1,074 , while total Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT) rose by 18% to 42.64 million.
Excited Stakeholders Task NPA on Eastern Ports
Satisfied with the performance of the NPA management, stakeholders have called on NPA to ensure that it continues the efforts to move Eastern ports to the next level in which importers and exporters increase their patronage of the areas. Specifically, the stakeholders point to the $1 billion port rehabilitation and modernization project fund to be launched this year, and called on the management of the agency to carry the Eastern ports along as it has always promised in the areas of development as part of the renewed hope agenda of the present administration.
A maritime stakeholder, Engr. Babatundde Olakanmi of Lagos Shippers’ Association (LSA) is of the view that the Eastern ports need to be developed the same way Lagos ports are developed. Olakanmi opined that in the past, underdevelopment in the Eastern ports affected the ports negatively and in turn boosted the Western ports.
He said that the plan by the NPA to develop the Eastern ports is a good development, adding that following policy neglect in the past before the present administration, the ports suffered poor infrastructure, weak governance and systemic extortion.
In his support for the eastern ports upgrade, he said that while “Lagos ports received safety upgrades and investment, Eastern ports were excluded, leading to dredging issues, outdated facilities, high operating costs, and loss of vessel confidence, especially for reefer and bulk cargo”.
He added, “the way forward requires balanced federal policy, continuous dredging, infrastructure upgrades, transparent charges, agency accountability, labour reform, and commercial incentives to re-market the Eastern ports”.
In what would appear as responding to the worries of stakeholders, the NPA MD, Dantsoho had last year assured that the organization was making every effort to revive the Eastern ports. According to him, this would be part of the federal government effort to expand the national economic base through the marine and blue economy.
He pointed out that due to infrastructure issues, the competing neighbouring ports of Lome, Cotonou, Abidjan and Tema have been enjoying a lot of advantages against Nigerian ports. He said that the NPA has continued in its efforts in infrastructure upgrades to ensure that the facilities in Onne, Port Harcourt , Calabar, Warri, and other South-South facilities are improved upon so that they can attract higher ship traffic.
According to the NPA management, improving on the facilities of the Eastern ports will be a big relief on Lagos ports with the result of maximizing the potentials of Eastern ports.
To Dantsoho, the move to reposition the Eastern ports was in line with the “Nigeria First” policy, signaling priorities the areas of infrastructure modernisation and operational efficiency as well as indigenous participation in the shipping sector. Many believe that Eastern ports are closer to shippers in the North Central and South East stakeholders.
NPA management believes that the development of the Eastern ports in the areas of dredging, terminal expansion, new tugboats in addition to the provision of electronic call-up systems have all helped in reducing the vessel turnaround time to an average of 5 – 16 days. The organization believes that shippers, such as industrialists in Aba, Onitsha and Nnewi will all enjoy the benefits of having developed ports nearer to them. To the organization, the Eastern ports corridor will no doubt lead to help Nigeria in terms of increased regional and global trade advantage.
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