The $1.5 billion Lekki Deep Seaport has started international transhipment of cargoes to neighbouring West African countries such as Togo, Benin Republic, Abidjan and Ghana.
The Port, on Thursday, disclosed that it initiated efforts to ramp up operations from 287,000 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) handled in 2024 to 500,000 TEUs by the end of 2025.
Speaking to journalists in Lagos, the deputy chief operating officer, Daniel Odibe, said the Port was still targeting more international transhipments with other West African countries. He, however, disclosed that out of 1.2 million TEUs capacity, the Port was currently handling only about 20 per cent of its projected cargo throughput. He attributed the shortfall to prevailing economic challenges that had impacted the port’s operations in recent times.
According to him, the removal of fuel subsidies and the depreciation of the Naira against major foreign currencies led to a decline in imports in 2024. However, he noted that cargo volumes were now gradually improving as it processed 222,000 TEUs between January and June 2025.
He also noted that transshipment activities to ports in neighbouring and landlocked countries had similarly increased. He said: “Lekki Port currently receives between 10-12 vessels every month, and Lekki Port transhipment operations have also increased substantially.
“Lekki Port is currently doing international transhipments to Togo, Benin Republic, Ghana and Abidjan, and some landlocked countries. We are picking up because the Naira is gradually picking up.
“Volumes fell because of Naira depreciation and the removal of the subsidy, and this caused a setback in our projection. As of 2023, when we started operations, we did 54,289 TEUs, and as of June of this year, we have done 222,000, and we are projecting 500,000 TEUs.”
According to him, the vessel turnaround time at Lekki Port currently stands at 48 hours, and one hour and 25 minutes for truck turnaround time.
Meanwhile, the Port’s managing director, Wang Qiang, said, Lekki Port would continue to raise the bar to international standards.
Wang, who was represented by the chief Operating officer of the port, Young Qiang ,said: “We continue to push the envelope, set the bar higher to uphold our position as West Africa’s deepest sea port.port.
“The result of our unrelenting commitment to world-class standards is visible in the gigantic footprints we are putting on the map of maritime trade in Africa, deploying technology, driving operational efficiency, and shaping regional trade.”
