Lagos ports at Apapa and Tin Can are among the world’s top 20 most improved container ports, according to a new World…

LAGOS ports at Apapa and Tin Can are rising! The ports made it to the exclusive list of the world’s top 20 most improved container ports in the past five years, according to a new report by the World Bank. Both ports, which handle 70 per cent of Nigeria’s maritime traffic, were named in the World Bank’s Container Port Performance Index for 2025. In a country whose ports were notorious for delays, this is a rare moment. It should be sustained.

This says a lot about the immense transformation that both ports have undergone in the last few years, and which has placed Lagos as a stronger, more efficient gateway to global commerce in Nigeria.

A report by Channels Television says this pivot came on the heels of the Nigerian Ports Authority’s frontline contribution to the National Trade Surplus, which Nigeria attained year-on-year since 2024.

In the first quarter of 2026, it facilitated N7.54 trillion in trade, the National Bureau of Statistics reported.

The report, compiled by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence, ranked Tin Can Island Port 10th globally among ports that posted the greatest improvements between 2020 and 2025, while Lagos Port was 12th on the list.

The CPPI report – the sixth edition – evaluates container port performance based on vessel turnaround time and operational efficiency using a global benchmark.

The index provides a consistent, data-driven measure of global port efficiency by focusing on vessel time in port. It enables comparisons across ports and over time, helping identify where performance is improving and where challenges remain.

According to the report, Tin Can improved its CPPI score by 42 points, moving from -68 in 2020 to -26 in 2025, while Lagos Port recorded a notable improvement of 35 points, rising from -61 in 2020 to -26 in 2025.

The performance placed Nigeria among a select group of countries that have made substantial progress in enhancing vessel turnaround times, port efficiency, and cargo handling operations in the past five years.

Nigeria outperformed several major ports in the global improvement rankings, including France’s Marseille Port, which ranked 11th with a 39-point improvement; Türkiye’s Iskenderun Port, which placed 13th with a 34-point increase; and India’s Jawaharlal Nehru Port, which ranked 14th with a 32-point gain.

Peru’s Paita Port occupied 15th position with 32 points, while China’s Keelung and Fuzhou ports shared 16th and 17th positions respectively, recording 27 points each.

The transformation resulted in streamlined cargo-handling operations while modernised port equipment significantly cut down on logistical delays and turnaround time for vessels.

Such efficiency is remarkable and a positive signal for the Nigerian economy. Ports play a major role in the economy of any country, and the accrued benefits depend largely on how operations are handled.

This coincides with Nigeria’s plans to invest $1 billion in the total reconstruction and overhaul of outdated infrastructure at both ports.

With support from a major £746 million export finance agreement with the United Kingdom, the overhaul has been laid over a 48-month timeline.

The investment includes a total reinforcement of degrading quay walls and the deepening of port channels to safely accommodate much larger global vessels, as well as terminal expansions and heavy injection of funds into modern, high-speed cargo-handling equipment.

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The plan will onboard structural blueprints to upgrade the Calabar, Warri, and Port Harcourt ports to establish balanced maritime development across Nigeria.

It is reported that the Nigeria Customs Service and the NPA are introducing aggressive digitisation to remedy fragmented agency checks and eliminate human interface. One such innovation is the “B’Odogwu” System, which is a localised, glitch-free online platform being deployed to automate documentation and eventually slash terminal cargo processing time.

The Tin Can Port is migrating toward a 100 per cent paperless cargo processing regime. By using advanced digital scanning instead of manual inspections, the risk of delays and corruption can be eliminated.

The project includes a One-Stop-Shop Platform, which will replace the past clearance time of upwards of 21 days due to uncoordinated regulatory units.

The newly piloted OSS integrates multiple customs units into unified digital clearances, aiming to aggressively push standard cargo clearance down to 48 hours or less.

Additionally, a National Single Window incorporates cross-agency integration, enabling continuous information sharing and digital payments while ships are still at sea, and minimising “idle gaps” once cargo touches the dock.

This is a refreshing difference from when three high-calibre Smith Hiemamn 253 HCV scanners deployed in the ports were left to rot as a result of the poor capacity of a Nigerian firm hired to operate them after a contract with a foreign company, Cotecna, was terminated in 2015.

That was quite a dismal outlook for an import-dependent country, with implications for manufacturing and other sectors.

The global maritime industry is worth over $24 trillion annually, but Nigeria occupies just a fraction of this valuation.

As of Q1 2026, Nigeria’s total foreign trade hit N34.78 trillion, with maritime transport facilitating approximately 95 per cent of the country’s imports and 90 per cent of its total exports by volume.

Nigeria’s operational efficiency is on the rise. Recent data tracked by NPA placed gross registered tonnage at 46.75 million, with cargo throughput hitting 32.38 million metric tonnes in a single quarter.

But the authorities must deal decisively with issues contributing to congestion within and outside the ports.

Rail infrastructure must be incorporated within the port ecosystem, and truck movement must be automated as well.

The momentum cannot be lost at this crucial juncture of this positive evaluation by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence.

The report represents a strong affirmation of port reforms and must be used by the government to improve the economy and attract badly-needed foreign direct investment.