NPA Port Growth Shows Stronger Cargo, Vehicle, Transshipment Momentum

By Olumide Johnson

Vehicle traffic through Nigerian ports rose 42.5 percent in the first half of 2026, while cargo, vessel calls and container volumes also recorded substantial increases, giving fresh evidence of stronger activity across the nation’s port system.

DEVELOPMENT

Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, presented the first-half performance at the quarterly meeting of the Port Consultative Council in Lagos.

Represented by Okenwa Igwebuike, Principal Manager, Statistics, Dantsoho said that 103,375 imported vehicles were handled between January and June 2026, compared with 72,568 in the corresponding period of 2025.

“A total of 103,375 units of imported vehicles were handled at Nigerian ports between January and June 2026, representing a 42.5 percent increase when compared with 72,568 units recorded in the same period in 2025,” Dantsoho said.

He attributed the increase in vehicle traffic significantly to transshipment activity at the Ports & Terminal Multiservice Limited Terminal on Tin Can Island Port.

DATA

Vessel calls increased 6.9 percent to 2,152, while gross registered earnings rose 20.9 percent to 96,693,108.

Cargo throughput climbed 12.2 percent to 68.29 million metric tons, including 38.41 million metric tons of inward cargo, up 5.6 percent.

Lekki Port recorded a 48.4 percent increase in vessel calls and handled nearly 40 percent of national cargo throughput, with Dangote Refinery operations accounting for 76 percent of its traffic.

Onne Port recorded a 26.6 percent increase in vessel calls and accounted for 22.7 percent of national cargo throughput.

Container traffic rose 10.3 percent to 815,346 TEUs, while transshipment containers surged 169.5 percent to 35,570 TEUs.

SIGNIFICANCE

The figures show that the NPA’s operational environment is generating stronger activity across several major indicators, with Lekki and Onne increasingly contributing to national port throughput.

Dantsoho said: “Transhipment traffic recorded the steepest growth of any container category, rising 169.5 per cent to 35,570 TEUs from 13,199 TEUs in the corresponding period last year, though it still accounts for just four per cent of overall container traffic.”

The NPA also openly identified an area requiring attention: average ship turnaround time worsened to 5.3 days, a six percent negative performance.

NEXT MOVE

Dantsoho also said that the benchmarking exercise was designed to give the Port Consultative Council clearer insight into operational performance and support strategic decision-making.

He identified Dangote Petroleum Refinery as a defining factor, saying it accounts for approximately 40 percent of total annual port traffic. With the refinery’s planned expansion to 1.4 million barrels per day, he said that further infrastructure investment and balanced traffic policy would be required.

OUR LENS

The broader signal is that Nigeria’s port system is increasingly being shaped by industrial-scale cargo generators and stronger transshipment activity.

Abayomi Duyile, Apapa Chapter Chairman, National Council of Managing Directors of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, attributed the vehicle surge partly to lower levies.

“So, the surge is the little reduction on levies that was done on vehicles. And if you look at it now, the Nigerian vehicle business is booming,” Duyile said.

He also said that many imported vehicles were old and accidented.

Muda Yusuf, Chief Executive Officer, Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, identified both tariffs and the exchange rate.

“Because there was a slight downward review in tariffs and import duty on vehicles. That is one factor. The other factor is the exchange rate. The exchange rate has been getting stronger,” he said.

For the NPA, the numbers strengthen the case for continued infrastructure modernisation and traffic management as port activity grows.