West, Central African Ports earn $27bn investment – Dantsoho
By Uzor Odigbo
The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority/President of the Ports Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA), Dr Abubakar Dantsoho siad that the region’s port industry raked in over $27 billion worth of strategic port infrastructure projects and sustainability initiatives.
Speaking at the opening of the Board Committee, Dantsoho declared that ports across the sub-region were finally attracting global attention after years of stagnation.
Addressing delegates from Senegal, Gambia, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Congo, Ghana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire and several other African maritime nations, Dantsoho stated the sub-region was witnessing an unprecedented wave of investments capable of redefining its economic future.
Among the flagship projects highlighted were the $20 billion Simandou-Morebaya Deep Sea Port project in Guinea, the $2 billion Port San Pedro expansion in Côte d’Ivoire, the $1.5 billion Lekki Deep Sea Port in Lagos, the $1.5 billion Tema Port project in Ghana, and the $1.2 billion Ndayane Port project in Dakar, Senegal.
Dantsoho also disclosed that major upgrade plans were underway at Apapa and Tin Can Island Ports in Lagos, alongside a $600 million investment in APM Terminals Apapa.
According to him, the maritime sector in West and Central Africa is now moving beyond the traditional role of cargo handling to embrace a broader blue economy framework anchored on sustainable fisheries, renewable marine energy, aquaculture, marine biotechnology and coastal tourism.
“We are determined to keep in tune with global trends. Our ports can no longer be viewed solely as gateways for cargo movement,” Dantsoho declared.
The PMAWCA President said the organisation was also spearheading environmental sustainability through the West African Sustainable Ocean Programme (WASOP), a €59 million European Union-funded initiative covering 13 West African countries between 2024 and 2029
