Nigeria’s Apapa Port Complex and Tin Can Island Port Complex have been ranked among the 20 most improved ports globally by the World Bank, a development seen as validation of ongoing reforms aimed at enhancing efficiency and competitiveness in the country’s maritime sector.
The recognition was contained in the Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) 2025 released by the World Bank in June.
The report says significant improvements in vessel turnaround time, cargo handling and overall operational efficiency at the two Lagos-based ports, which handle the bulk of Nigeria’s seaborne trade.
The CPPI, developed by the World Bank as a global benchmark for measuring port performance, evaluates ports based on the time vessels spend in port and other indicators of operational efficiency.
The index is widely used by governments, investors, shipping companies and logistics operators to assess port productivity and competitiveness.
The latest ranking comes as the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) intensifies efforts to modernise infrastructure, deploy new equipment and streamline port operations to reduce delays and improve service delivery.
Industry analysts say improved port performance is critical to lowering logistics costs, facilitating trade and attracting investment into Africa’s largest economy.
The recognition is also expected to strengthen confidence among shipping lines and cargo operators, particularly as Nigeria seeks to position itself as a regional maritime and logistics hub.
According to the NPA, ongoing operational improvements have supported the country’s trade performance by easing the movement of imports and exports through the nation’s seaports.
The agency noted that enhanced efficiency at the ports has contributed to Nigeria’s ability to record consecutive trade surpluses since 2024.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that the country recorded a trade surplus of N7.5 trillion in the first quarter of 2026, reflecting stronger export earnings and improved trade flows.
Maritime experts note that efficient ports play a strategic role in economic growth by reducing cargo dwell time, improving supply-chain reliability and lowering the cost of doing business.
Reacting to the ranking, Managing Director of the NPA, Abubakar Dantsoho, described the development as evidence that ongoing investments in infrastructure and equipment modernisation were yielding positive results.
He attributed the achievement to the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu and the support of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola.
Dantsoho said the authority would sustain efforts to improve trade facilitation, boost competitiveness and support economic growth through more efficient port operations.
“With the investor-friendly policies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu providing the impetus for increased investment to drive our port infrastructure and equipment modernisation programme, coupled with the support of the Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, we have all it takes to further enhance trade facilitation, improve competitiveness and boost the national economy,” he said.
Analysts believe the World Bank recognition could help attract greater private-sector investment into port infrastructure while supporting Nigeria’s ambition to become a leading trade and logistics gateway in West Africa.
The development is also expected to strengthen Nigeria’s integration into regional and global supply chains, a key objective of the government’s blue economy agenda.