President of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has said Africa cannot achieve meaningful economic growth with outdated port infrastructure, stressing that aggressive investment in modern ports, technology and deep sea facilities is now unavoidable.

Dantsoho, who is also the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), said countries across West and Central Africa have resolved to modernise their ports to remain competitive in global trade and accommodate larger vessels.

Speaking at the closing of the PMAWCA meetings in Lagos, Dantsoho commended President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy for providing policy direction that is repositioning Nigeria’s maritime sector.

According to him, port infrastructure remains the backbone of economic growth, noting that no country can expand its GDP without expanding and modernising its ports.

“This is an industry that requires huge investment in infrastructure. You cannot make progress with obsolete facilities and still expect to receive newer and larger vessels,” he said.

“You cannot have a hotel built 50 years ago and expect modern customers to continue coming without refurbishment. It is the same thing with ports.”

He said countries within the sub-region, including Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and Benin Republic, are currently repositioning their port systems through upgrades and modernisation projects.

Dantsoho disclosed that while Nigeria is refurbishing Apapa and Tin Can Island ports as a medium-term solution, the country must ultimately develop more modern deep sea ports capable of handling future trade volumes.

He noted that the Lekki Deep Sea Port, with two berths, represents progress, but added that Africa must aim for larger and more sophisticated facilities comparable to global maritime hubs.

“In Singapore, they are building ports with hundreds of berths. Guinea is developing a $20 billion deep sea port project. These are the kinds of investments Africa must begin to pursue if we want to compete globally,” he said.

The PMAWCA President also highlighted the growing role of technology, automation, artificial intelligence and robotics in port operations, insisting that data-driven systems are now central to efficient maritime administration.

According to him, the Nigerian Ports Authority has achieved nearly 90 per cent automation in its operations, with electronic payment and cargo processing systems significantly improving efficiency.

He cited the electronic call-up system introduced at Apapa Port as one of the innovations that has drastically reduced traffic congestion around the port corridor.

“Today, you can go into Apapa and leave within minutes. Before now, people spent hours and sometimes slept on the bridge because of congestion,” he said.

Dantsoho further stated that Nigeria currently accounts for over 70 per cent of cargo traffic entering the West and Central African sub-region due to its large population, market size and strategic position in serving landlocked neighbouring countries such as Niger, Chad, Mali and Burkina Faso.

He explained that Nigeria’s huge consumer market, combined with its youthful population, gives the country enormous maritime and economic potential if supported with modern infrastructure.

“Our market extends beyond Nigeria because several landlocked countries depend on Nigerian ports. But to sustain that advantage, we must provide deeper waters, stronger quays and modern infrastructure that can accommodate bigger ships,” he added.

He also stressed the importance of regional collaboration and peer review among African port authorities under PMAWCA, saying member countries are increasingly sharing experiences, performance benchmarks and strategies to improve operational efficiency and competitiveness across the region.

According to him, Africa’s future economic growth will depend heavily on how quickly its maritime sector adapts to global realities through infrastructure renewal, technological innovation and regional integration.

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