MD/CEO of Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho
By Eric Moore
THE Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) has called on private investors in the Maritime and Ports sector to move in to invest in Nigerian ports, promising to be accommodating.
Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NPA, Abubakar Dantsoho, made the call during facility tour of Onne and Port Harcourt sea ports in Rivers State, on Thursday.
The tour, which was on the heels of his tour of Lagos Ports of Apapa and TinCan earlier on November 27, 2024, signposts the current administration’s readiness to deepen Nigeria’s competitiveness in vessel and cargo traffic to match the needs of Nigeria’s huge population of over 200 million inhabitants.
It (tour) covered the facilities of Intels Nigeria Limited, Brawal Oil Services, Onne Multi-Purpose Terminal, West Africa Container Terminal (WACT), Indorama, Notore Plant and the premises of Port Harcourt Port.
Speaking during the tour, Dantsoho, state that the maritime and ports sector has good potential for the country, adding that the benefits of the sector can be achieved if there is massive private companies’ investment.
Dantsoho also disclosed the planned investment in TinCan and Apapa Ports, adding that the move was to reposition ports operations.
He said what is required to achieve the potentials of the marine economy is for private companies to invest in infrastructure, equipment, technology and more investment in human capital.
Dantsoho stressed: “With the quantum of investments our maritime neighbours especially along the West and Central African Coast are attracting, we can only stay competitive if we redouble our investment drive in order to provide requisite infrastructure and equipment to attract the sizes of vessels that scale up our cargo throughput to adequately serve our huge population.
“As far as this Management is concerned, we have the mandate of the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy Adegboyega Oyetola to create the enablers for increased investment, and we are poised to do just that.
“Let me seize this moment to reiterate my earlier plea to investors to take maximum advantage of the investor-friendliness of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, to infuse greater Investment and be assured of guaranteed return on investment.”
He said: “What is required is investment from private sector. For us to improve capacity in ports and maritime industry, we need private sector investments in infrastructure, investment in equipment, more investment in technology and more investment in human capital.
“Where we are is a good example of achieving that. This place was started like five years ago. It was a green field. But, now, you can see how activities are taking place here.
“There are vessels here that have berthed. As a matter of fact, it is a multi-purpose terminal, meaning that there is the area receiving cargoes for general, meaning you can have fertilizer, cement, sugar.
“We are also receiving containerized cargoes. Meaning that you have ships that are container specific. This is how to grow the maritime and port industry by getting people from private sector to invest.
“This is a good example of where this can lead us and take us to. It can take the industry to a more advanced level so that we can compete with our neighbouring countries.
“There is nothing they are doing that is out of the world. It is just investment. So, the NPA as an institution, we are going to create or add to what we are doing to attract this private sector investors.”
The NPA boss, however, promised that the authority would ensure protection and safe working environment for the private investments to operate.
He said: “We are going to be more accommodating; we are going to be more encouraging to them so that they can come and invest; so we can say Nigeria is really leading the West and Central Africa in this sector.
“We are calling on all stakeholders to be with us in this struggle so that by the end of the day, Nigeria will claim its rightful position in the maritime and ports industry in Africa.”
Dantsoho further revealed that target of the federal government is to enlarge the capacity of the maritime sector of the country, stressing that the government is concerned about the growth of the sector.
He stated: “We have said what we require is private companies that can give us good facilities, development of human capacity building and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility).
“The focus of the government is to expand and deepen our capacity in the maritime industry. It is our God’s given area. This government is concerned about growing this industry.
“We are going to invest huge money to improve Tin Can and Apapa (ports). And this will begin soon. We are going to invest money in technology. It is important we have the best technology.”
The NPA helmsman who was recently elected as the first Nigerian President of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) concluded the tour by stating that “the reality of Nigerian Ports processing 2million containers of cargo to service a population of over 200 million is an anomaly that has to be urgently addressed through deployment of huge investments.”