Experts: Why Nigeria’s ports must be digitised
Nigeria risks ceding its strategic trade advantage in West Africa to neighbouring ports unless it urgently accelerates the adoption of smart technologies, digitalisation, and modern infrastructure across its maritime gateways.
Nigeria risks ceding its strategic trade advantage in West Africa to neighbouring ports unless it urgently accelerates the adoption of smart technologies, digitalisation, and modern infrastructure across its maritime gateways.
Senior government officials, industry leaders, and security agencies who spoke at the 2026 Annual Conference and Award Ceremony of the Association of Maritime Journalists of Nigeria (AMJON) in Lagos, agreed on the need to confront one of the country’s most persistent economic challenges- the chronic underperformance of its ports at a time of rapid global transformation and expanding opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The event featured port managers, regulatory chiefs, lawmakers, maritime journalists, and security officials. The theme was “Attaining Port Efficiency in the Face of Emerging Technology”.
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Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, set the tone with a sweeping address that positioned port modernisation not as a sectoral project but as a national economic imperative.
“Under AfCFTA, competition will favour countries with stronger logistics systems and smarter ports,” Dantsoho told delegates. “This makes the transformation of Nigerian ports both urgent and essential.”
He outlined a broad reform agenda already underway at the NPA, anchored on five strategic pillars: infrastructure modernisation, digital transformation, operational efficiency, improved connectivity, and investment partnerships.
Dantsoho cited the ongoing upgrade of Apapa and Tin Can Island Ports as well as the continued growth of the Lekki Deep Sea Port as critical drivers of expanded trade capacity. On the digital front, the NPA, he said, is advancing the Port Community System and supporting the National Single Window to integrate stakeholders, reduce delays, and improve transparency across port operations.
Rail links, inland dry ports, and barging operations are also being reinforced to strengthen cargo evacuation nationwide, while the authority remains committed to attracting private sector capital. Dantsoho projected that the cumulative effect of these reforms would be faster port operations, lower logistics costs, increased trade volumes, stronger government revenue, and Nigeria’s emergence as a premier regional logistics hub.
“Nigeria’s ports are moving from outdated systems to modern infrastructure, from delay to efficiency, and from potential to performance,” he noted.
The Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Consultative Council (NPCC), Bolaji Sunmola, was candid in his assessment of the structural problems holding Nigeria’s ports back, while commending recent progress.
He said: “Nigeria’s ports, particularly Apapa and Tin Can, have long suffered from high cargo dwell times, opacity in charges, and infrastructure deficits that have pushed cargo to the ports of our neighbours in Lomé, Cotonou, and Tema.
“The cost of doing business through our ports remains among the highest in West Africa. These are not new problems, but they demand urgent, innovative solutions.”
Sunmola acknowledged that technology is already beginning to deliver results, citing the Eto Electronic Call-Up System and the National Single Window as examples of digital solutions restoring order to port operations.
However, he urged stakeholders to move further and faster across five transformative technology frontiers. He called for the embedding of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Analytics into vessel scheduling, berth allocation, predictive equipment maintenance, and customs risk profiling, arguing that AI “eliminates guesswork and significantly reduces the human discretion that often enables corruption.”
He also advocated for Blockchain technology to create immutable, transparent records of all port transactions, which he said could “dramatically reduce document fraud and unofficial levies that inflate the cost of cargo clearing.”
On the hardware side, Sunmola pressed for Internet of Things deployment through smart containers, RFID tags, and sensor-enabled yards to provide real-time cargo visibility from ship to final destination. He further called for the prioritisation of Automated Port Equipment, including Automated Stacking Cranes and remote-operated Ship-to-Shore cranes, with the Lekki Deep Sea Port identified as the perfect template for greenfield technology deployment. On maritime security, he noted that while NIMASA’s Deep Blue Project has made progress, AI-powered anomaly detection, satellite-integrated vessel tracking, and drone surveillance must be further harnessed to secure Nigeria’s waters and port premises.
Sunmola directed a clear charge at both regulators and the media. He called on the NPA, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) to accelerate digitalisation, enforce compliance with existing technology mandates, and create regulatory incentives for private terminal operators to invest in smart port infrastructure.
He also charged AMJON to continue “holding stakeholders accountable, amplifying best practices, and ensuring that the public discourse on port efficiency remains informed, rigorous, and solution-oriented.”
Sunmola, who presided over the conference as chairman, concluded with a pointed warning: “The era of analogue port management is over. Countries and ports that embrace technology will lead; those that resist will be left behind and their cargo will follow.”
The keynote address was delivered by former federal lawmaker representing Apapa Federal Constituency, Mufutau Egberongbe, whose paper “Attaining Efficiency at the Port in the Face of Emerging Technology”, drew heavily on global benchmarks to argue the case for Nigeria’s digital leap.
Egberongbe pointed to the Port of Rotterdam, the Port of Singapore, and the Port of Shanghai as leading examples of facilities leveraging smart technologies to dramatically cut turnaround times and sharpen competitiveness.
He listed key performance indicators for port efficiency as vessel turnaround time, cargo dwell time, and customs clearance speed. “Efficient ports are defined by minimal delays, lower costs, high productivity, and improved customer satisfaction,” he said.
Egberongbe traced the multiple challenges confronting Nigerian ports, including infrastructure gaps, reliance on manual processes, congestion, security vulnerabilities, labour disputes, and environmental pressures, and mapped out a technology-driven response.
He explained that AI can forecast vessel arrivals and optimise resource allocation; IoT enables real-time monitoring of port equipment; blockchain enhances transparency in cargo documentation; and automation improves handling speed and accuracy.
The former lawmaker also advocated for digital twin technology to simulate port operations for better planning and decision-making, as well as smart port community systems that integrate all stakeholders on a unified platform.
Focusing specifically on the Lagos Port Complex, Tin Can Island Port, and Onne Port, Egberongbe recommended full digitalisation of port processes, upgrading obsolete cargo handling equipment, strengthening cybersecurity systems, and sustained investment in human capital development.
He stressed that public-private partnerships would be vital to funding modern port infrastructure, alongside regulatory reforms to support innovation and global standards compliance.
“Attaining efficiency at the port is no longer optional but essential,” Egberongbe stressed. “Countries that embrace smart port technologies will benefit from faster cargo movement, reduced costs, increased revenue, and improved global competitiveness.”
The conference also heard from security authorities on the state of the country’s waterways.
A representative of the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Maritime Police Command, DCP Udu Moses Ogechi, reaffirmed the Nigeria Police Force’s commitment to securing the nation’s rivers, creeks, lagoons, and coastal corridors, which he described as vital national assets supporting commerce, transportation, and livelihoods.
He disclosed that the Maritime Police Command has deepened collaboration with the Nigerian Navy and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to combat kidnapping, piracy, armed robbery, and illegal trafficking, with joint operations strengthened through intelligence-sharing and specialised training.
Among the federal government’s recent security investments highlighted by Ogechi was the deployment of 31 gunboats equipped with modern navigation and communication systems to boost patrol and rapid response capacity.
He also cited the activation of the Lagos CCTV Surveillance Centre in January 2026 as a major milestone, enabling real-time monitoring of critical infrastructure including waterways around the Third Mainland Bridge.
Ogechi commended NIWA for deploying water marshals at jetties and enforcing the Inland Waterways Transportation Code, which mandates life jacket use, operator licensing, and restrictions to approved loading points. Despite these gains, he acknowledged that kidnapping incidents, boat accidents caused by negligence, and illegal operators remain persistent challenges.
“Passengers and operators must comply with safety protocols, especially the use of life jackets and patronage of authorised jetties,” Ogechi said.
The AMJON 2026 conference, which also featured an award ceremony recognising distinguished contributors to the country’s maritime sector, underscored a growing consensus among stakeholders that the country’s ports stand at a defining crossroads. With AfCFTA raising the competitive stakes for intra-African trade, officials and industry leaders agreed that the window for Nigeria to leverage its natural geographic advantages as a West African maritime hub is open but will not remain so indefinitely without bold, technology-driven action.
