How Digital Initiatives Improved Nigeria’s Port Performance, Dantsoho Tells PMAWCA Members
Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho (2nd right) and other industry leaders at the African Ports Conference (COPAF2026) in Casablanca.
• Urges African ports to establish effective digital foundations before deploying AI
By Francis Ugwoke
The President of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) and Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has said that digital initiatives such as the Eto truck call-up system and National Single Window and Port Community System have led to improvements in Nigeria’s port performance.
Dantsoho said that already the digital initiatives have contributed to a 24.8 per cent rise in Nigeria’s cargo throughput last year.
According to him, this was in addition to the strong World Bank Container Port Performance Index rankings for both Tin Can Island Port and Apapa Port.
The PMAWCA President who spoke on the occasion of the African Ports Conference (COPAF2026) in Casablanca, Morocco, pointed out that African ports need to establish effective digital foundations before deploying artificial intelligence (AI) for the sake of improving “operational efficiency, vessel planning, landside coordination, revenue assurance, security and predictive maintenance”.
Dantsoho added that smart ports should be measured by tangible operational results, faster vessel turnaround times, shorter cargo dwell times, lower costs, reliable systems and proper revenue accounting, instead of just technology purchases alone.
In his remarks at the conference with the theme “Smart African Port: Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity for Performance”, the NPA MD referred to Nigeria’s $1 billion Lagos ports modernisation programme, adding that it is part of the broader effort to improve port infrastructure, efficiency and competitiveness.
Among those who discussed how artificial intelligence and cybersecurity could improve port performance in African ports with Dantsoho were the Secretary-General of the Association of African Ports Authorities (AGPAOC), the Director-General of the Port of Sierra Leone, the Director-General of the Centre de Recherche et de Formation (CRF) and other industry leaders.
By Francis Ugwoke
The President of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) and Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has said that digital initiatives such as the Eto truck call-up system and National Single Window and Port Community System have led to improvements in Nigeria’s port performance.
Dantsoho said that already the digital initiatives have contributed to a 24.8 per cent rise in Nigeria’s cargo throughput last year.
According to him, this was in addition to the strong World Bank Container Port Performance Index rankings for both Tin Can Island Port and Apapa Port.
The PMAWCA President who spoke on the occasion of the African Ports Conference (COPAF2026) in Casablanca, Morocco, pointed out that African ports need to establish effective digital foundations before deploying artificial intelligence (AI) for the sake of improving “operational efficiency, vessel planning, landside coordination, revenue assurance, security and predictive maintenance”.
Dantsoho added that smart ports should be measured by tangible operational results, faster vessel turnaround times, shorter cargo dwell times, lower costs, reliable systems and proper revenue accounting, instead of just technology purchases alone.
In his remarks at the conference with the theme “Smart African Port: Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity for Performance”, the NPA MD referred to Nigeria’s $1 billion Lagos ports modernisation programme, adding that it is part of the broader effort to improve port infrastructure, efficiency and competitiveness.
Among those who discussed how artificial intelligence and cybersecurity could improve port performance in African ports with Dantsoho were the Secretary-General of the Association of African Ports Authorities (AGPAOC), the Director-General of the Port of Sierra Leone, the Director-General of the Centre de Recherche et de Formation (CRF) and other industry leaders.
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