The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Abubakar Dantsoho, has revealed that Nigeria has not constructed a new port facility in nearly five decades, with the last port built being the Tincan Island Port in 1977.

Dantsoho made this disclosure during a recent visit by Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Group, to the NPA headquarters in Lagos. The meeting highlighted significant developments in Nigeria's maritime infrastructure plans.

"The federal government has approved the remodernization of Tincan and Apapa ports, with construction expected to commence in the third quarter of 2025," Dantsoho stated. He explained that port capacity improvements can be approached in two ways: through brownfield development (renovating existing ports) or greenfield projects (building entirely new ports).

"The last time the government built a new port in Nigeria was in 1977, which was the Tincan Island Port. There is already approval for the port modernisation of both Tincan and Apapa ports. We are hopefully looking at maybe the third quarter of this year to commence construction," the NPA boss elaborated.

During the meeting, Dangote shared projections about his group's contributions to Nigeria's economy, noting that the federal government stands to earn approximately $7 million in daily revenue from fertiliser exports from his refinery. These exports are expected to begin operations within the next two years.

The planned modernization of Nigeria's key ports comes at a critical time for the nation's maritime sector, which has faced challenges including congestion, aging infrastructure, and operational inefficiencies that have impacted trade and commerce.

Industry experts suggest that upgrading these vital port facilities could significantly enhance Nigeria's position as a regional maritime hub and improve the ease of doing business in the country's import-export sector.