TITLE:
River Port and Deep-Sea Port Developments in Nigeria: Implications for West African Gateways and Hinterland Markets
AUTHORS:
Edmund Chilaka
KEYWORDS:
Deep-Sea Ports, Nigerian Ports, Inter-Port Competition, Hinterland Markets, West African Shipping
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Industrial and Business Management,
Vol.12 No.4,
April
19,
2022
ABSTRACT: The steady development of river and deep-sea ports
in Nigeria are examined, with a special focus on the changing trends of
inter-port competition in-country and among West African rivals. In 2018,
whereas Togo overtook Nigeria in annual container throughput volume and Onne
Port, from 2015, recorded higher throughput volume in-country, than the two
previously dominant Lagos ports, other regional rivals such as Cotonou, Tema,
Abidjan and San Pedro recorded higher year-on-year throughput increases than
Nigeria, posing the logical question of what the future holds in a vibrant
liberalized market apparently set for redefinition through Chinese intervention. The study used archival,
primary and secondary sources and qualitative analytical methodology.
Interviews of Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) staff, port operators and cargo
logistics agents were conducted and latest throughput data of Nigerian ports
were verified during the research. The findings include the high number of
Nigerian deep-sea port proposals which are hardly supported by the current
national (and transshipment) traffic volumes, and even less so by the weak
multimodal transport infrastructure, although the new China-backed Lekki Deep-sea Port might redeem lost grounds. The study recommends ways NPA can use the new
presidential orders to redirect unfavourable traffic flow patterns in the
region.