FG policies boost export growth by 25% – Dantsoho
Lagos, Nov. 3, 2026, The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, has said that the Federal Government policies had increased Nigerian exports by 25 per cent in the last two years.
Dantsoho stated this while speaking at the ongoing Annual World Ports Conference in London, organised by the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH), on Tuesday in London.
The General Manager, Corporate Communication and Strategy Unit of NPA, Mr Ikechukwu Onyemekara, said in a statement made available to the media in Lagos.
Dantsoho said Nigeria’s population gave it immense advantage among peers, adding that recent reforms increased cargo throughputs.
He said that growth resulted from policies implemented, noting that statistics showed exports rose by 25 per cent, not only oil and gas, but manufacturing, agriculture, cocoa, cashew and raw materials.
He attributed the growth to partnership between NPA and major terminal operators, including APM Terminals, saying that collaboration had boosted efficiency, export volumes and port competitiveness across Nigeria.
Dantsoho said that NPA had put everything in place to sustain export growth, explaining that it established Export Processing Terminals to streamline cargo processing for export operations.
He said that NPA had about four Export Processing Terminals where it collaborated with terminal operators, Nigeria Customs Service and other relevant agencies to process export cargo locally before shipment.
He said that local processing ensured export cargo met international standards, avoiding issues regarding standards by the time cargo left Nigeria for destination markets worldwide.
Dantsoho said that Nigeria was better placed to take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), as a result of reforms of the present administration under President Bola Tinubu.
He said that Nigeria’s economy was very strong as a result of the President’s reforms, which everyone testified had attracted investors, leading African countries to ensure intra-African trade in a free and fair manner.
He cited the exchange between Nigeria and Morocco, noting that Morocco was now a hub for manufacturing electric cars and smaller vehicles, fostering idea exchange and trade cooperation with Nigeria.
He said that reforms were the reason Nigeria had two ports in the top 20 in the latest global ports ranking by the World Bank, reflecting improved efficiency, competitiveness and performance.
Dantsoho affirmed that the result was hard work and efficiency, adding that NPA collaborated efficiently, describing the approach as result-oriented and technology-based, and pledged consolidation with major players in Morocco and South Africa.
He revealed that as a result of reforms, revenue from ports across Nigeria had quadrupled, driven by increased volumes and collaboration with international partners and terminal operators nationwide.
He said that efficiency in Nigerian ports was far better than other West African countries, citing dashboard as President of Association of Ports in West and Central Africa.
The NPA boss said that there had also been improvement in Tanzania and Kenya, describing collaboration as yielding desired results, and stressed the need to consolidate progress and prevent detraction from slowing momentum across Africa.
“Federal Government is planning for medium to long term, is investing one billion dollars to expand and modernise Apapa ports in Lagos State for future growth and competitiveness.
“Expansion and modernisation requires collaboration with private sector, NPA is working with APM Terminals and bigger players with capital, alongside technology partners from Singapore and elsewhere,” Dantsoho said.
He said that NPA developed Single Window system in 2025 with a Singaporean firm and now worked with an Abu Dhabi company to develop port community system, fostering business-to-business relationships.
