National Single Window and Port Modernization as Key Elements

Performance Report released by the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA revealed that total cargo throughput surged by 24.8 percent, rising from approximately 103.6 million metric tons in 2024 to over 129.3 million metric tons in 2025.

The Managing Director of the NPA, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, while  describing the the growth trajectory as a significant annual increases also added that Nigeria is on the path to irreversible economic growth and overall national development.

The NPA Boss stated that President Bola Tinubu is reversing the trend through an ambitious reform programme driven by the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy under the leadership of Adegboyega Oyetola and implemented  under the guidance of its Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho with the deployment of a comprehensive modernisation of Nigerian sea ports  and the activation of the National Single Window, NSW.

In line with Phase 1 of the NSW go-live, NPA has participated in a series of technical and strategic engagements with the NSW Project Team and implementation partners, complete initial User Acceptance Testing (UAT), inauguration of Transition Committee of the NSW and the development and delivery of all requested system endpoints (integration codes) to enable process alignment between NPA and NSW platforms.

Upgrade and Results

from on going efforts, NPA disclosed that Nigeria’s cargo throughput rose by 45.1 percent to 103.3 million tonnes, while ship calls increased to more than 4,000 vessels across the ports. Container traffic also climbed to 1.74 million TEUs, reflecting growing trade activity and increased export shipments.

The NSW

According to NPA, the NSW is designed as an integrated digital platform that enables traders to submit all import, export and transit documentation through a single electronic interface rather than interacting with multiple government agencies. It is projected that  the National Single Window could boost customs revenue by 10 to 20 percent annually, translating into an additional N600 billion to N1.2 trillion in government earnings.  Beyond revenue generation, the system could reduce cargo dwell time by 35 to 45 percent and cut overall trade transaction costs by up to 25 percent. Such improvements would significantly enhance Nigeria’s logistics performance and ease of doing business.

MD, NPA Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho (3rd Right), MD Lekki Port Mr. Qiang Wang (1st Left), Board Chairman Lekki Port, Mr. Abiodun Dabiri (1st Right) and ED F/A NPA, Vivian Richard-Edet (2nd Right) when the NPA Management team paid performance enhancement visit to Lekki Deep Seaport.

 Revenue, Leadership and Earnings

The impact of ongoing reforms reflects in the financial performance of the NPA. From records, NPA generated N894.86 billion in revenue in 2024 and is projecting N1.28 trillion in revenue for 2025, driven mainly by increased cargo traffic, digital automation and infrastructure upgrades.  NPA also remitted a record N400.8 billion to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) in 2024, nearly double the amount remitted the previous year. These figures, the agency stressed, underscores the growing economic significance of Nigeria’s maritime sector when supported by effective institutional leadership.

NPA Automated Traffic Control Barriers within the Apapa Port areas

Economic Irreversibility

Maritime stakeholders and economic experts agree that the ongoing reforms and infrastructure upgrade in terms of reconstruction and expansion could significantly transform Nigerian port operations in term of efficiency, profitability, competitiveness and attraction of Foreign Direct Investments, FDI, which could further boost sea port operations and promote Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria; serving as buffer to irreversible national economic growth and development.