By Oluyinka Onigbinde
Nigeria should move beyond the narrow debate over port charges and focus on transforming its seaports into a major trade and transit gateway for West Africa, Chairman of the panel at the recent MARAN Maritime Annual Lecture, Emmanuel Maiguwa, has said.
Maiguwa said Nigeria’s strategic location, huge market and maritime resources provide an opportunity for the country to attract cargoes, not only for the domestic market, but also from neighbouring countries.
He spoke at the Lecture organised by the Maritime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria (MARAN) in Lagos, with the theme, “Nigerian Ports Modernisation, Charges and the Competitiveness Question.”
According to him, port competitiveness should not be measured only by how much it costs to import or export goods, but by the ability of the Nigerian port system to provide an efficient gateway capable of serving Nigeria and the wider West African market.
He said efficient and competitive ports would reduce the burden on businesses and consumers while creating an opportunity for Nigeria to attract cargoes that currently move through other regional gateways.
The position came as the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) disclosed that the age of the country’s port infrastructure remains one of the major challenges confronting efficient cargo operations.
Joseph Adegbite, Assistant General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Planning, NPA, said most Nigerian ports, except Lekki Deep Sea Port, are more than 50 years old and require significant infrastructure renewal.
Adegbite explained that ageing infrastructure affect the deployment and effectiveness of modern cargo-handling equipment, with implications for vessel turnaround time, cargo dwell time and overall productivity.
He said the Federal Government’s port modernisation programme was therefore critical, adding that Lagos was being prioritised because of its dominant share of Nigeria’s port traffic.
According to him, the modernisation programme would also extend to the Eastern ports, including Rivers and Warri, while Onne Port also requires improvement.
Adegbite, however, stressed that port modernisation must go beyond physical infrastructure, noting that digital integration was essential to creating an efficient port system.
He called for the deployment of Port Community Systems and Single Window to connect the various agencies and stakeholders involved in port operations.
“Port operation is a communal system. It is a community,” he said, stressing that better digital integration would help remove operational silos and reduce delays.
He also identified renewable energy and other modern technologies as important components of the country’s port modernisation drive.
Representing the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Willem Inya raised concerns over the multiplicity of charges imposed on port users.
Inya said importers often contend with several charges during cargo clearance, while delays expose businesses to additional costs, including demurrage.
He called for the harmonisation and rationalisation of port charges to create a more predictable and competitive environment for businesses using Nigerian ports.
Captain Ladi Olubowale of the African Ship Owners Association warned that excessive port costs could make neighbouring countries more attractive to cargo owners.
He said cargoes destined for Nigeria could end up being discharged in neighbouring countries and subsequently transported into Nigeria by road, adding that such additional logistics costs could ultimately affect the prices paid by consumers.
Olubowale also warned that high port costs could encourage smuggling and undermine legitimate trade.
He said efficient ports would be essential if Nigeria is to achieve its ambition of building a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
Also speaking, Mrs Chinwe Ezenwa, Managing Director, Le Look Bags, said infrastructure investment must be accompanied by a change in the attitude of stakeholders towards public facilities.
She called for greater sensitisation and reorientation, noting that vandalism and poor maintenance of public infrastructure could undermine government investments in the maritime sector.
The discussions underscored the need for Nigeria to approach port competitiveness as a complete system involving infrastructure, charges, technology, cargo-handling efficiency and stakeholder coordination.
For Maiguwa, the bigger opportunity lies in making Nigerian ports attractive enough to serve as a regional gateway, allowing the country to capture a greater share of West African trade rather than functioning primarily as gateways for Nigeria-bound cargoes.
