Nigerian Ports Record Increase In Cargo Throughput

By Esther Komolafe

Between 2006 and 2011, cargo throughput at the nation’s ports increased by over 90 per cent, according to the duo of the Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, and the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Engr.  Omar Suleiman, at the opening ceremony of the 35th Annual Council Meeting and 11th Roundtable Conference of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) in Lagos recently.

Suleiman explained that the landlord model of port management, which was adopted in 2005, leading to the concession of sections of the ports to private terminal operators, otherwise called concessionaires, has led to the consistent improvement in cargo throughput from 26,150,518 metric tons in 2006 to 82 million metric tons in 2011.

He added that that the initiative has equally made container traffic to witness 12 to 15 per cent annual growth within the same period.

According to the NPA boss, in order to support and enhance these growths, government, through the NPA and other relevant agencies, has embarked on several projects, which he listed to include capital and maintenance dredging to deepen and expand the channels, dredging of the River Niger for inland water transportation, wrecks removal, rehabilitation of moles in Lagos, improved maritime security and massive investment in rail rehabilitation, which, he said, are still on-going.

In his opening address, the Minister of Transport, who was represented at the event by the Director of Maritime Service, Federal Ministry of Transport, Alhaji Suleiman Nagogo, reechoed Suleiman’s earlier disclosure on the increase in cargo throughput since 2006 to 2011 by over 90 pe rcent.