The Managing Director, NPA, Mr Mohammed Bello-Koko, said this in a panel session at the 43rd Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) conference held on Tuesday in Lagos.

According to Bello-Koko, almost every port in Nigeria requires rehabilitation, while the NPA is initiating a substantial overhaul for all ports, starting with the TinCan and Apapa ports in Lagos.

“The objective of the authority is to enhance the physical infrastructure of these ports to accommodate vessels of all sizes and increase the draft at the quay side.

“Increasing the draft is with the aim of achieving draft depths of up to 14 meters and this initiative will render Nigerian ports more competitive on a global scale,” he said.

Bello-Koko further stated that the NPA was also strengthening collaborations with the private sector to establish new seaports.

Notably, he said, the Lekki Deep Seaport had already commenced operations, and the Badagry Deep Seaport recently signed an agreement with a Middle-Eastern party, with construction scheduled to commence early next year.

The NPA managing director noted that these endeavours exemplify the NPA’s determination to create a multimodal transportation system connecting all ports seamlessly.