Dangote eyes maritime dominance with new deep seaport

President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has unveiled renewed ambitions to strengthen Africa’s maritime trade capacity through a new deep seaport project aimed at enhancing regional commerce and logistics across the continent. The development comes amid ongoing efforts by the Federal Government to expand Nigeria’s port infrastructure and position the country as a […]

President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has unveiled renewed ambitions to strengthen Africa’s maritime trade capacity through a new deep seaport project aimed at enhancing regional commerce and logistics across the continent.
The development comes amid ongoing efforts by the Federal Government to expand Nigeria’s port infrastructure and position the country as a leading maritime and logistics hub in West and Central Africa.
Dangote made the disclosure while speaking at the Mid-Year Session of the Board of Directors of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) held in Lagos, where he highlighted increasing investments reshaping the region’s shipping and trade sector.
He called for greater private sector participation in port development across Africa, stressing that governments should prioritise creating an enabling environment and revenue generation rather than directly engaging in port construction.
According to him, persistent infrastructure gaps and inefficiencies in some West and Central African ports continue to cause delays in cargo operations, affecting trade flows across the region.
He cited experiences in Côte d’Ivoire, where vessels reportedly wait for up to three weeks before discharging cargo due to congestion and limited port capacity.
“There should be a deliberate effort by governments to create policies that attract entrepreneurs and investors into the maritime sector. Increased private sector involvement would ultimately boost government revenue,” he said.

 

Dangote maintained that the government should focus on regulation and revenue collection while allowing private investors to build and operate ports.

 

“Government has no business investing in ports. Government should focus on revenue collection and provide the right environment for private investors to build and operate ports,” he added.

 

He also revealed plans to further expand investments in the Lekki Free Trade Zone port project, describing it as a strategic development that would transform maritime trade in Africa.

 

According to him, the Lekki Deep Sea Port is expected to become the largest and deepest seaport on the continent upon completion.

Dangote further disclosed that discussions had been concluded with the President of Tanzania on additional port development projects aimed at strengthening logistics operations across Africa.

 

He said the company’s growing investment in port infrastructure reflects its ambition to become one of Africa’s leading logistics providers, while assuring stakeholders of continued collaboration in advancing maritime development.

 

Meanwhile, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, said the Federal Government had approved the development of additional deep seaports across the country to enhance supply chain resilience and Nigeria’s global maritime competitiveness.

 

Oyetola said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was prioritising port modernisation through infrastructure upgrades, digitalisation, and improved operational efficiency.

 

He noted that ongoing reforms had helped reduce bottlenecks at seaports, improve cargo evacuation, and create a more predictable business environment for investors.

 

The minister also disclosed that existing ports would undergo major upgrades, including channel deepening, to accommodate larger vessels and rising cargo volumes.