Maritime stakeholders have lauded Lekki Deep Seaport for the transshipment success and efficiency the port has recorded since it began operations in 2023, describing it as a beacon of progress in Nigeria’s maritime sector.
The stakeholders made this observation recently during the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry Freight Forwarders Group Conference, themed ‘From ports to prosperity: fixing the links in Nigeria’s supply chain.’
The high-level forum brought together policymakers, port operators, customs officials, freight forwarders, and trade facilitators to address critical bottlenecks within Nigeria’s logistics ecosystem.
Speaking during a panel session, the Deputy Chief Operating Officer at Lekki Port, Mr. Daniel Odibe, spotlighted the port’s growing role in unlocking transshipment value for West Africa.
“Since we began transshipment operations in June 2023, we have moved over 40,000 twenty-foot equivalent units across West African ports, nearly half of that in just the first six months of 2025. With a 16.5-meter draft and super-post-Panamax cranes, the port can receive the largest vessels in the world and discharge cargo swiftly. This saves shipping lines both time and cost,” Odibe stated.
According to him, Lekki Port is not just operational, it is exemplary, stressing that the port is already working with agencies and partners to scale transshipment into landlocked countries and reduce overall port dwell time.
“Seamless systems are not a luxury; they are a necessity. With strong inter-agency cooperation and cutting-edge infrastructure already in place, Lekki Port’s performance continues to set a new standard for port efficiency in the sub-region,” he said.
An assistant director at the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Oluwafemi Omonayin, echoed industry sentiment with a resounding endorsement of the port’s performance.
“Even recently, we were at your port and saw what you put on the ground; most of your operational activities are seamless,” Omonayin said.
The panel moderator, who is also the Deputy Chairman of the LCCI Freight Forwarders Trade Group, Dr. Ikenna Nwosu, further reinforced this sentiment during a widely applauded moment.
Nwosu, who is also the Managing Director of Cobita Invest Limited, said, “Another round of applause to Lekki Port for connecting the movement of transit cargo. Your scanning machine takes 30 seconds to scan a container; that’s real efficiency.”
The stakeholders cited the port as a case study in aligning infrastructure investment with national trade facilitation goals.
Discussions touched on the importance of multimodal connectivity like rail, road, barge, and the port’s positioning within the larger African Continental Free Trade Agreement context to serve landlocked African countries.
The LCCI conference served as a dynamic forum to explore gaps in Nigeria’s freight forwarding and customs value chain, with participants calling for the replication of Lekki Port’s “smart port” model across the country.
