NPA Positions Nigeria’s Port Digitalisation As Model For Secure, Competitive African Trade

By Olumide Johnson

The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), who is also President of Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) and Vice-President of African Region of the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has called for stronger cybersecurity, regional intelligence sharing and common digital standards at the African Ports Conference in Casablanca, Morocco. He highlighted Nigeria’s National Single Window, Port Community System and electronic truck call-up system, alongside a 24.8 percent increase in cargo throughput to 129.3 million metric tonnes in 2025 and a $1 billion modernisation programme for Apapa and Tin Can Island ports.

DECISION HIGHLIGHT

The NPA’s position is that port digitalisation must deliver measurable efficiency without creating new security vulnerabilities. Dantsoho advocates secure operational systems, tested recovery arrangements, enforceable cybersecurity standards and regional cooperation. His ambition is to position Nigeria as a contributor to Africa’s maritime technology standards, not merely a consumer of imported solutions.

DECISION MEMO

Nigeria’s port transformation deserves recognition because the NPA is advancing a principle that separates meaningful modernisation from expensive technological publicity: digital investment must improve performance, protect operational continuity and strengthen accountability.

Dantsoho has rightly resisted presenting artificial intelligence (AI) as an automatic solution to port inefficiencies. His approach prioritises reliable digital foundations, cybersecurity and measurable outcomes before wider deployment of advanced applications. As he stated, “A smart African port is not defined by how much technology it buys. It is defined by the performance it delivers.”

This is a commercially sensible position. Shipping companies, manufacturers, exporters and investors are concerned less with technological displays than with cargo clearance times, logistics costs, service reliability and predictable delivery schedules.

Nigeria’s reported progress offers grounds for cautious optimism. According to Dantsoho, Tin Can Island Port ranked 10th and Apapa Port 12th among the world’s most improved ports in the World Bank’s Container Port Performance Index 2025, released in June 2026. Cargo throughput also rose by 24.8 percent to 129.3 million metric tonnes in 2025.

L-R: Mr. Jean Marie Koffi, Secretary -General of PMAWCA; Dr Yankuba Askia Biu, DG Sierra Leone Ports; Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, President of PMAWCA/ MD of NPA, and Dr. William Odah, DG of Centre de Recherche et de Formation CRF at the ongoing African Ports Conference (COPAF 2026) in Casablanca Morocco.

These achievements do not mean Nigeria’s port competitiveness challenges have disappeared. However, the Eto electronic truck call-up system, National Single Window and beta Port Community System demonstrate an approach that addresses congestion and administrative fragmentation through better coordination.

The historical challenge was substantial. Dantsoho recalled that cargo previously remained at Lagos ports for up to three weeks, while the Apapa access road, designed for approximately 2,400 trucks daily, carried more than 7,000. Such congestion imposed costs on businesses, undermined delivery schedules and weakened the reliability of Nigeria’s trading environment.

The NPA deserves credit for recognising that port efficiency depends on coordinated information flows as well as physical infrastructure. The next task is to demonstrate sustained reductions in delays and logistics costs across all seven Nigerian ports, whose operational requirements differ.

Cybersecurity is critical to this transition. A compromised digital platform can interrupt cargo processing, revenue collection and information exchange across multiple institutions. Citing international incidents, Dantsoho warned that “A single window must not become a single point of failure”.

The warning is particularly relevant as Nigeria integrates Customs, terminal operators, shipping lines and regulators through interconnected systems. Digital integration can reduce fragmentation, but inadequate safeguards can concentrate operational risks. Secure infrastructure, tested backups and clear accountability must therefore accompany every major technology investment.

Dantsoho’s observation that “A recovery plan is not proven because it exists. It is proven because it works” should guide the NPA’s modernisation programme. Cybersecurity must be demonstrated through operational resilience, not merely documented compliance.

The $1 billion modernisation programme for Apapa and Tin Can Island ports provides an opportunity to incorporate cybersecurity, intelligent maintenance and operational monitoring from the design stage. This would reduce the risk of expensive retrofitting and strengthen the long-term value of infrastructure investment.

There is also a regional dividend. As PMAWCA president, Dantsoho has proposed shared cyber threat intelligence, common data standards, performance benchmarking and a working group on AI and data governance. These initiatives recognise that maritime trade corridors connect national economies, making isolated digital systems inadequate for regional competitiveness.

His position on data governance is equally important: “Data sovereignty does not mean isolation. It means benefiting from innovation while retaining the capacity to govern its use.”

Dantsoho concluded: “The smart African port will not be imported. We will build it together.”

Nigeria has an opportunity to help shape that future. The NPA’s approach deserves support, but its ultimate credibility will rest on sustained operational improvements, measurable cost reductions and dependable digital infrastructure.

DATA BOX

WHO WINS / WHO LOSES

Who wins: Importers, exporters, manufacturers, shipping companies and cargo owners stand to benefit from more reliable port services and lower logistics costs. The NPA gains an opportunity to strengthen institutional credibility, while African port authorities could benefit from shared standards and technical expertise.

Who loses: Operators benefiting from opacity, avoidable delays and weak revenue accountability may face greater scrutiny. These outcomes, however, depend on effective implementation and enforcement.

POLICY SIGNALS

Cybersecurity must become integral to port security, supported by interoperable platforms, tested recovery systems, measurable performance targets and enforceable data-governance rules. Regional standards should encourage cooperation without imposing identical technologies on ports with different operational needs.

INVESTOR SIGNAL

Nigeria’s port modernisation offers a potential competitiveness dividend if digitalisation reduces cargo delays, logistics costs and revenue leakages. The reported throughput growth and improved port rankings are encouraging, but sustained improvements in clearance times, service reliability and operating costs will provide stronger evidence of commercial value.

RISK RADAR

Key risks include cyberattacks, inadequate recovery arrangements, incompatible platforms, supplier dependence, skills shortages and uneven implementation. The NPA should address these through independent cybersecurity assessments, regular resilience testing, enforceable supplier obligations and transparent performance reporting.

Olumide Johnson is a journalist, reporting on energy, maritime, business, and developments shaping Nigeria’s economy.