The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) yesterday resolved to increase container traffic by over 70 per cent from the current 2 million containers per year to over 7 million Twenty Equivalent Units (TEUs) at the nation’s seaports.

Managing Director Abubakar Dantsoho said this during the familiarisation tour of Lagos ports. He stressed the need for advanced infrastructure, technology integration, and stakeholder collaboration to position Nigeria as a leading maritime hub in West and Central Africa.

Dantsoho pointed out the importance of modernising port infrastructure and adopting advanced technology to increase efficiency and container traffic, noting that these were key steps to meeting the demands of Nigeria’s large population and thriving economy.

He said: “Lagos is the largest part of NPA’s operations, contributing significantly to the economy, so it is natural to begin here before extending to the eastern ports.

“We handle only two million containers annually; a number insufficient for a country with over 200 million people. By comparison, Lagos State alone could justify far higher volumes.”

Dantsoho highlighted a shift in NPA’s focus from cargo handling to ship-side operations, with private terminal operators taking charge of cargo management.

He acknowledged the need for further investments in port infrastructure and cargo-handling equipment. Dantsoho stressed the need for port modernisation to attract global shipping giants, like Meaesk Line which currently delivers only 500,000 containers to Nigeria annually out of their seven million global containers.

Also, he confirmed the efforts to secure the federal Government’s approval for a port modernisation project worth millions of dollars in the ports, saying that dredging activities and enhanced technological integration are in progress.