Managing Director Nigerian Ports, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho has tasked his team to renew commitment towards continuous improvement of the Port efficiencies that provided the backbone for the positive export performance Nigeria has recorded thus far in the successive quarters of year 2025.
Speaking during the recently concluded NPA Management Retreat in Onne Rivers State, Dantsoho said “we are proud of the excellent work being undertaken by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council as evident in the increased export numbers passing through our platforms, but we cannot rest on our laurels, we must commit to a continuous improvement paradigm of Port operations and service delivery that places high premium on issues of sustainability”.
Elucidating further Dantsoho stressed that “minimizing environmental impact through eco-friendliness, promotion of social responsibility, and ensuring long-term economic viability are the drivers of global progress, and we cannot afford to be left behind. We owe posterity a duty to infuse sustainability paradigms into the way we do things”.
The NPA Management Retreat themed “Repositioning the Nigerian Ports System for Sustainability” focused on reviewing and optimizing operational processes to enhance service delivery. At the Retreat, the NPA Management Team undertook a Business Process Re-engineering to identify and address bottlenecks and inefficiencies, ensuring a more customer-centric approach.
Additionally, the NPA signed a Performance Bond, reinforcing its commitment to operational excellence and achieving the Priorities of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as directed by the Honorable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, His Excellency Adegboyega Oyetola.
This strategic initiative underscores NPA’s dedication to improving efficiency, customer satisfaction, and long-term sustainability in Nigeria’s port system. The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) under whose technical guidance and partnership NPA established its Export Processing Terminals (EPT) reported an unprecedented growth in Nigeria’s Non-Oil Exports reflecting that non-oil exports for H1 2025 reached US$3.225 billion, marking a 19.59% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
Export volume also rose to 4.04 million metric tonnes. This is coming on the heels of maiden call of the first wholly-Nigerian owned container vessel “MV Ocean Dragon” at the NPA Eastern Port of Onne in Rivers State. The vessel which is scheduled to operate weekly from Onne via Calabar channel will service ports in Nigeria, Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Egypt and South Africa.