NPA Rehabilitating Onne, Warri, Calabar Ports To Drive Trade – Dantsoho

As part of efforts to boost cargo traffic and expand capacity, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, has disclosed ongoing investments in the rehabilitation of key eastern ports, including Onne, Warri and Calabar.

Speaking at the Enugu International Trade Fair, the NPA boss said the authority is repositioning Nigeria’s port system to better connect local producers, particularly small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs, to global markets.

He added that the NPA is also supporting the development of new deep-seaports across the eastern corridor to drive vessel calls and cargo throughput.

“In addition to renewed investment in eastern ports infrastructure, we are providing bespoke technical guidance to promoters of deep seaports to drive vessel and cargo traffic to the eastern flank on a sustainable basis,” he said.

Dantsoho stressed that trade remained a critical driver of Nigeria’s economic growth, noting that the authority is focused on removing longstanding bottlenecks that have undermined export competitiveness.

Central to this reform agenda is the establishment of Export Process Terminals (EPTs), designed to simplify and streamline export procedures.

“We established the Export Process Terminals to simplify the previously burdensome process of exporting Nigerian goods,” he said.

According to him, the terminals function as one-stop hubs for cargo consolidation, stuffing, documentation, packaging, certification and shipment, eliminating duplication and bureaucratic inefficiencies that once made Nigerian exports less competitive.

To further enhance efficiency and align with the Federal Government’s ease-of-doing-business drive, the NPA is pursuing full automation of port processes through the National Single Window (NSW) system.

“We are reducing human interface, which often encourages underhand practices, by automating our processes through the National Single Window,” Dantsoho added.

The NPA also unveiled a broader strategy to boost non-oil exports, anchored on infrastructure renewal, simplification of export processes, and end-to-end automation of port operations.

He highlighted the strategic importance of Enugu as a commercial gateway to the South-East, noting that its location offers significant opportunities for export growth, particularly in agro-allied products.

“The strategic positioning of Enugu as the gateway to the South-Eastern hinterland presents huge opportunities for the expansion of export opportunities, which is the focal point of the Nigerian Ports Authority,” he said.

He commended the Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture for sustaining the trade fair as a platform for enterprise development and international trade engagement.

He described the NSW as a globally recognised system that enables seamless interaction among all stakeholders in the trade value chain.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the NSW is the global best practice connecting all stakeholders in the trade value chain for seamless interaction at the push of a button.”

Dantsoho added that the EPTs would be linked to Domestic Export Warehouses, in collaboration with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council and other partners, to strengthen port-hinterland connectivity and open up export opportunities for businesses across the country.

He assured stakeholders of the authority’s readiness to partner with investors and exporters, urging them to take advantage of NPA’s platforms and services.

“Our doors are always open for partnerships. We have put measures in place to link value creators in the remotest part of the hinterland with the farthest clusters of demand anywhere on the globe,” he said.