Indications that ongoing reforms by the Federal Government to boost the nation’s maritime sector growth have emerged based on the surge in cargo throughput and enhanced container processing by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in 2025.
The just published NPA’s ‘2025 Operational Performance Report’ showed that cargo throughput increased 24.8% and totalled 129.3 million metric tonnes, compared to the about 103.6 million metric tonnes recorded in 2024.
The Managing Director/CEO of the Authority, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, described the increase as “one of the most significant annual increases in Nigeria’s maritime history”, and that the achievement “strengthens the country’s position as a more competitive and strategic player in regional and global trade.”
An analysis of the merchandize trade trend in the year under review reflected that while imports still lead cargo movements at 59.2%, exports recorded consistent growth and constituted 39%, transshipment accounted for 1.8% of the total throughput.
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The report revealed that container movements, which represent a major gauge of manufactured goods trade, grew by 25.7% to more than 2.1 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) just as export-laden containers rose 3.1% while import containers increased by 32.8% in 2025.
Also, the NPA’s ‘2025 Operational Performance Report’ indicated that Transshipment containers surged by 205.8%, proving Nigeria’s expanding function as a major merchandize trade distribution hub in West and Central African regions
The data in the report showed that Lekki Port accounted for the highest quantity of the handled cargo during the year with 40.6% of national cargo throughput, followed by Onne Port with 19.1%, and Apapa Port which processed 16.7% of the cargo.
But then, the Apapa Port accommodated the largest ships on average, with a mean Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT) of 55,712. Onne followed at 53,022 GRT, Apapa at 33,251 GRT, Tin Can Island Port at 36,909 GRT, and Delta Ports at 17,414 GRT.
Although Tin Can Island Port registered the highest number of vessel calls at 22.7 percent, Lekki and Onne ports are drawing progressively bigger and more valuable ships.
In the year under review, the report showed that total vessel arrivals across Nigerian ports increased nearly 12% to 4,477 ships, with liquid bulk items such as fuel and chemicals making up 54.7% of cargo, while containerized goods accounted for 24%.
Commenting further on the improving performance of the ports, Dantsoho expressed confidence that future expansion would be catalyzed the ongoing government-approved port modernization programme, including the National Single Window system rollout.
The large-scale modernization scheme aims to upgrade outdated infrastructure, increase berth depths, restore quay structures, expand handling capacity, and introduce state-of-the-art digital technologies across all terminals.
Industry experts believe that the current trend in larger vessels and advanced cargo types at the Nigerian ports shows the marine and blue economy policy measures are increasingly aligning with international maritime benchmarks.
