The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA), Dr. Pius Akutah, has been honoured with a Sustainability Award for Investment and Economic Development. The ceremony took place in London last week.
The award was presented to Dr. Akutah at the Nigeria Conversation on Trade and Investment London 2026, which was organised by the Nigerian Branch of Royal Commonwealth Society, in recognition of his contributions to investment promotion and economic development in Nigeria. It came on the heels of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assent to the NPERA ACT, 2026.
The event brought together government officials, business leaders and other stakeholders to explore prospects and opportunities for sustainable economic and industrial development in Nigeria.
Speaking at the event with the theme, “Towards Sustainable Economic and Industrial Development in Nigeria – Prospects and Opportunities”, Akutah highlighted the enormous investment opportunities presented by Nigeria’s marine and blue economy.
The NPERA DG said the creation of the Ministry and the ongoing renewal of Nigeria’s port infrastructure reflect the Federal Government’s commitment to diversifying the economy beyond oil and gas.
He identified the ports sector, inland waterways, fisheries, shipbuilding and repairs, renewable energy and other maritime activities as critical areas capable of attracting investment and driving economic growth.
Akutah also stressed the need to unlock Nigeria’s inland waterways, noting that only about 3,000 kilometres of the country’s estimated 10,000 kilometres of inland waterways are currently navigable.
According to him, dredging the River Niger and developing navigable channels could open up significant investment opportunities while reducing the cost of logistics and facilitating the movement of goods into the hinterland.
He further emphasised the importance of aligning Nigeria’s trade objectives with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and improving logistics infrastructure to enable the country to maximise the benefits of regional trade.
He noted that Nigeria still maintains a very strong market structure, which is an advantage for investors, adding that most of the major Seaports in Africa are located in Nigeria and many of them are old but efforts are made by the government to modernize them.
Akutah expressed optimism that the marine and blue economy could make a significant contribution to the Federal Government’s ambition of building a one-trillion-dollar economy by 2030.
