Port Management Association of West and Central Africa President Abubakar Dantsoho has said African countries cannot achieve meaningful economic growth while relying on outdated port infrastructure.
Dantsoho, who also serves as Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, made the remarks at the closing ceremony of PMAWCA meetings in Lagos, according to a statement issued on Thursday.
He stressed that heavy investment in modern ports, deep-sea facilities, and advanced technology is now essential for the region to remain competitive in global trade.
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Abubakar Dantsoho, said countries across West and Central Africa are upgrading and repositioning their ports to handle larger vessels and enhance trade efficiency.
“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,” Dantsoho 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.”
President of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa, Abubakar Dantsoho, said port infrastructure remains critical to economic expansion, noting that no country can achieve significant growth in gross domestic product without modernising its maritime facilities.
He added that Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, and the Benin are currently carrying out port upgrade and modernisation projects aimed at improving competitiveness.
Dantsoho said Nigeria is currently refurbishing the Apapa Port and Tin Can Island Port as a medium-term strategy, but stressed that the country must ultimately develop more modern deep-sea ports capable of handling future trade volumes.
He noted that the Lekki Deep Sea Port represents a positive step forward, but said Africa must aim for larger, more advanced maritime facilities that can compete with global shipping 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.
Dantsoho also underscored the growing importance of automation, artificial intelligence, and robotics in modern maritime operations.
He noted that the Nigerian Ports Authority has achieved almost 90 percent automation of its processes through electronic payment systems and digital cargo handling platforms.
The PMAWCA presidentsaid Africa’s future economic growth will depend heavily on how quickly the continent modernises its maritime infrastructure and embraces technology-driven port systems.
