​Federal Government policies and structural port reforms have boosted Nigeria’s export volume by 25 per cent over the past two years.
The announcement was made by Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, during the Annual World Ports Conference in London, organised by the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH).
​Speaking before international delegates, port operators, and maritime leaders, Dantsoho outlined how targeted economic strategies and port decongestion programs have translated into measurable growth across non-oil sectors as well as traditional exports.
​He emphasized that the 25 per cent expansion spans multiple sectors beyond crude oil and gas, showing remarkable momentum in agricultural and manufactured goods. “Statistically, exports from Nigeria in the last two years have increased by 25 per cent,” Dantsoho stated.
“These are exports that are not mainly only oil and gas. In terms of oil and gas, we are doing fantastically around that, but then also in other areas of manufacturing and agriculture, raw materials like cocoa, cashew, and all that, volumes have increased.”
​The NPA chief attributed the dramatic surge to strategic partnerships between the NPA, major terminal operators such as APM Terminals, and key government regulatory bodies like the Nigeria Customs Service.
​Central to this growth has been the establishment of four dedicated Export Processing Terminals, which ensure export cargo is fully processed, inspected, and standardized locally before shipment to prevent delays or rejections abroad.
Infrastructure improvements are also underway, backed by a $1 billion Federal Government investment aimed at modernizing and expanding the Apapa Port in Lagos to bolster long-term throughput capacity.
​Furthermore, the agency is advancing its digital transformation by rolling out a Single Window System in partnership with Singaporean tech providers, while simultaneously developing a comprehensive Port Community System alongside partners from Abu Dhabi to streamline trade operations.
Dantsoho noted that these continuous efficiency drives contributed directly to two Nigerian ports ranking among the most improved worldwide in recent World Bank global port assessments.
