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Nigeria Loses N20bn Daily to Port Inefficiencies, Agbakoba

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Nigeria port inefficiencies cost N20bn daily, says Olisa Agbakoba; experts urge modernisation, legal reforms, and better infrastructure.

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Nigeria is losing approximately N20 billion daily at its ports due to decayed infrastructure and operational inefficiencies, with significant revenue flowing to neighbouring ports such as Cotonou, Tema, and Lomé, according to Senior Advocate of Nigeria Olisa Agbakoba.

Also read: Agbakoba issues second ultimatum to Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to retract “False” harassment claim against Akpabio

Citing a report by Dutch consultancy firm Dynanmar, Agbakoba said that while 80 per cent of containers in West and Central Africa are destined for Nigeria, less than 20 per cent actually arrive due to port deterioration.

He added that over 25,000 foreign vessels illegally trade in Nigeria’s coastal waters, representing both a national security concern and a loss of economic opportunity.

Highlighting the Lekki Deep Seaport as a model, Agbakoba noted that it is already attracting more than $20 billion in investment and demonstrates the potential for replicable port modernisation nationwide.

Conversely, he said that key strategic ports remain underdeveloped or abandoned, including the Apapa City Port and the Onitsha River Port.

Other ports at Azumiri, Oraji, and in Akwa Ibom and Ogun states require significant development.

Agbakoba called for decisive legal and institutional reforms to modernise port operations, including enacting the Ports and Inland Waterways Development Act, amending the Nigerian Ports Authority Act (1999) to encourage private sector participation through robust public-private partnerships, and updating the National Inland Waterways Authority Act (1997) to enable systematic dredging and inland port development.

He emphasised critical performance targets such as reducing cargo dwell time to 48 hours or less and achieving annual port throughput growth of 15 per cent or more.

The National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy (2025–2034) already provides a roadmap for these reforms, outlining nine new laws, institutional strengthening, and enhanced enforcement mechanisms.

According to the Sea Empowerment Research Centre, lowering cargo dwell time by 35–45 per cent could save the private sector N300–400 billion annually, while broader trade efficiency gains could reduce transaction costs by 20–25 per cent.

Current inefficiencies are estimated to cost Nigeria N500–900 billion each year in lost revenue, administrative duplication, and reduced productivity.

Agbakoba stressed that while global attention focuses on oil and gas, the maritime sector could rival petroleum revenues and create millions of jobs if reforms are implemented.

Also read: Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Senate Reinstatement Sparks Legal Showdown

“The choice before us is clear: allow the policy to remain aspirational or implement bold legal reforms that unlock N70 trillion in annual revenue,” he said.

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Cement costs more in Nigeria than Kenya, Togo, FCCPC finds

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FCCPC

Cement price manipulation is under investigation by the FCCPC after a three-month study found Nigerian prices were high despite surplus capacity

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Heirs Life Names Pastor Jerry Eze Independent Non-Executive Director

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Heirs

Heirs Life appoints Jerry Eze as an Independent Non-Executive Director to strengthen financial inclusion, consumer trust and insurance adoption (more…)

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Shoreline Group secures US$200 million Afreximbank Facility

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Shoreline Group today announced that African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has approved a US$200 million facility in favour of Shoreline Power Company Limited and co-borrowers including Arkad S.p.A., Shoreline’s majority-owned engineering and construction platform.
Approved in June 2026, the facility was arranged and provided by Afreximbank as sole mandated lead arranger and lender. It provides bonding and working-capital capacity for Arkad’s delivery of the Hassi Bir Rekaiz project and supports Shoreline and its affiliates in developing further pipeline and infrastructure
projects in Nigeria and other permitted jurisdictions.
“This is a defining transaction for Shoreline and Arkad. We built Arkad as an African- sponsored engineering platform capable of competing at the highest level, and it is now delivering against a billion-dollar energy contract. Afreximbank’s US$200 million commitment gives the platform the financial strength to match its engineering capability and pursue further major infrastructure mandates. It demonstrates that African enterprises can assemble the capital, capability and partnerships required to compete for infrastructure at international scale.”
Hassi Bir Rekaiz Phase 2a Arkad holds 44 per cent of the approximately US$1 billion EPCCS-1 contract awarded by Groupement
Hassi Bir Rekaiz (GHBR) to an unincorporated consortium led by Egypt’s Petrojet, which holds 56 percent. EPCCS-1 covers engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning and start-up for the Phase 2a central processing facility and related infrastructure at the Hassi Bir Rekaiz field in Algeria’s Berkine
Basin.
GHBR is the joint operating entity for the licence, held by Sonatrach with 51 per cent and Thailand’s PTTEP with 49 per cent. The project includes a new crude oil processing facility with capacity of 31,500 barrels per day, facilities for associated gas and produced-water treatment, approximately 217 kilometres
of pipelines and the brownfield modifications required to integrate existing Phase 1 infrastructure.
The facilities are designed to support later expansion to 63,000 barrels per day under Phase 2b.
“This financing addresses the instruments that determine whether an EPC contractor can execute at scale: performance guarantees, advance payment guarantees and working capital through the project cycle. Hassi Bir Rekaiz is a demanding scope, combining a new central processing facility, associated treatment systems, pipelines and brownfield integration. With Petrojet, and with the support of Shoreline and Afreximbank, Arkad is focused on disciplined delivery against the project’s safety, quality and schedule requirements.”
The transaction was structured under Afreximbank’s Engineering, Procurement and Construction Initiative, which supports African engineering and construction firms with the financial instruments required to compete for and execute large infrastructure contracts. Afreximbank also supported the Arkad-Petrojet partnership through its EPC twinning work at the Intra-African Trade Fair held in Algiers
in 2025.
According to Afreximbank, the transaction is its first support for a Sub-Saharan African contractor undertaking a major infrastructure project in North Africa. For Shoreline, it demonstrates a practical model for combining African ownership and capital with established international engineering andindustrial capability.

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