Nigeria is expanding its maritime infrastructure programme around 12 port locations, combining the modernisation of six existing major ports with plans for six deep-sea port developments as the government seeks to increase cargo capacity and reduce the country’s dependence on Lagos for international trade.
The Federal Government has approved the modernisation of Onne, Rivers, Delta and Calabar ports, adding the four facilities to an existing rehabilitation programme covering Apapa and Tin Can Island ports in Lagos.
The decision brings six existing ports under the current modernisation drive.
Alongside those facilities, the government is pursuing deep-sea port projects at Ibom in Akwa Ibom State, Bakassi in Cross River, Agge in Bayelsa, Gateway in Ogun, Ondo in Ondo State and Bonny in Rivers State.
Together, the two programmes point towards a broader maritime network designed to create additional trade gateways across southern Nigeria and increase the amount of cargo that can be handled outside Lagos.
Minister of Marine and Blue Economy Adegboyega Oyetola said the latest approval was intended to improve infrastructure and operational efficiency at the four eastern ports while expanding their role in trade and regional economic development.
The government expects modernisation to improve cargo handling, shorten vessel turnaround times and strengthen connections between ports and surrounding industrial markets.
The expansion also addresses the heavy concentration of Nigeria’s seaborne trade around Lagos.
Apapa and Tin Can Island have historically handled a substantial share of the country’s containerised and general cargo, creating pressure on port infrastructure and the road network serving the Lagos maritime corridor.
Bringing additional capacity into Onne, Rivers, Delta and Calabar could provide importers and exporters with more viable alternatives and allow cargo destined for eastern and southern markets to enter through ports closer to its final destination.
The latest approval comes as operational indicators show that efficiency challenges remain across parts of Nigeria’s port system.
Average vessel turnaround time across Nigerian ports increased to 5.3 days in the first half of 2026 from 5.0 days in the corresponding period of 2025, according to Nigerian Ports Authority performance data.
Performance varied significantly between locations.
Delta Port recorded an increase in average turnaround time to 5.2 days from 3.4 days, while Calabar rose to 6.1 days from 5.7 days.
Rivers Port improved to 8.1 days from 10 days, although it remained the slowest among the ports measured, while Onne improved to 3.3 days from 3.6 days despite a 26.6 percent increase in vessel traffic.
The figures illustrate why increasing physical capacity alone may not be sufficient without improvements in channels, berths, cargo-handling systems and landside connections.
Some rehabilitation work is already taking place.
At Delta Ports, contracts have been awarded for rehabilitation of the Escravos breakwaters and Terminals A and C, while approval has been granted for a channel-management arrangement covering the waterways serving the ports.
Rivers Port Terminal 1 has also been undergoing berth improvements.
At Calabar, draft restrictions continue to limit the size of vessels able to use the port, making channel maintenance and dredging important to efforts to increase commercial traffic.
The modernisation of Apapa and Tin Can Island is further advanced from a financing perspective.
A £746 million facility has been secured for rehabilitation and modernisation of the two Lagos ports, with plans including improved cargo-handling infrastructure, automation and other technologies intended to move the facilities towards greener and smarter operations.
The government has not disclosed an equivalent investment figure for the newly approved Onne, Rivers, Delta and Calabar modernisation programme.
It has also not provided the complete financing structure, procurement timetable or commencement date for all four projects.
That distinction is important because approval of the programme does not mean construction has begun simultaneously across the four ports.
The six proposed deep-sea ports represent the second component of the government’s maritime expansion.
Unlike the rehabilitation programme, which focuses on existing facilities, the deep-sea developments are intended to create new large-scale maritime gateways capable of handling bigger vessels and supporting industrial and logistics clusters.
The Gateway Deep Seaport in Ogun State recently moved forward through an investment framework involving the Ogun State Government and DP World.
That development forms part of a proposed investment exceeding $7 billion covering the port and the adjoining Blue Marine Special Economic Zone.
Other proposed deep-sea developments are at different stages of planning and development, meaning the six projects should not be treated as if they share a common construction or completion timetable.
If implemented, the combination of upgraded conventional ports and new deep-sea facilities could change the geographic distribution of Nigeria’s maritime trade.
Ports in Rivers, Cross River, Delta, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Ogun and Ondo would provide businesses with additional routes into international markets, while greater competition between gateways could improve choices available to shipping lines, manufacturers and cargo owners.
The government also wants the ports connected more effectively with roads, railways and inland waterways.
Such connections will determine how efficiently cargo can move between vessels, factories, warehouses and consumer markets after leaving the port.
For manufacturers and exporters, the commercial value of the programme will therefore depend not only on deeper channels and rehabilitated berths but also on the cost and reliability of moving goods through the wider logistics network.
The emerging 12-port strategy is consequently broader than the rehabilitation of ageing maritime infrastructure.
It represents an attempt to combine six existing port upgrades with six new deep-sea developments to create a larger network of international trade gateways.
Execution will determine its economic impact.
While financing has been identified for the Lagos modernisation and some individual projects have advanced further than others, funding and implementation details for the four newly approved upgrades remain limited.
Turning the 12-port vision into additional cargo capacity will therefore depend on financing, procurement, dredging, construction and transport connections progressing across projects that are currently at substantially different stages of development.