Dangote, Nigerian Ports Authority Partner to Boost Nigeria’s Export Sector

• Dangote Industries Limited and the Nigerian Ports Authority have partnered to boost Nigeria’s marine and blue economy
• Dangote outlined plans to massively expand exports, including cement, coal, fertiliser, and refined products, which would increase foreign exchange earnings and port activities
• He also praised the NPA’s One Stop Shop policy for improving transaction efficiency and called for continued government support to enhance port services

Legit.ng journalist Zainab Iwayemi has 5-year-experience covering the Economy, Technology, and Capital Market.

With an emphasis on growing the nation's export business, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Dangote Industries Limited (DIL) have announced plans to work together to advance Nigeria's marine and blue economy sector.

Aliko Dangote speaks on partnership with NPA

Aliko Dangote, the president of Dangote Industries Limited, described his firm as the NPA's largest customer during a courtesy visit to the NPA headquarters in Lagos. He underlined the significance of ongoing engagement between DIL and the NPA.

“We are here to thank the NPA for doing a great job. As we speak, we are the biggest or largest customer of the NPA,” Dangote stated.

“This kind of interaction is crucial for the growth of the industry. We discussed several key issues, including how to deepen Nigeria’s Marine and Blue Economy. We have agreed to work together for the benefit of the country.”

Dangote highlighted the scale of the company’s operations, particularly at the Lekki facility, noting that over 240 crude oil vessels, each carrying one million barrels, are expected to operate annually. In addition, he said the company would require the movement of more than 600 vessels each year to distribute its refined products.

He also mentioned that Dangote's fertiliser activities would include loading about eight ships per year, characterising the scope as "an operation that has never been seen in the country."

“So, it’s a major challenge. But with the leadership of the NPA, we are very, very comfortable that they’ll be able to deliver.

“Our operations will sink if the NPA doesn’t give us the services we need for our operations. So, the NPA will need a lot of support from the Federal Government because they won’t be able to do these things on their own. They need equipment. They need more tugboats.

“We will also be putting in a few words in the necessary quarters to make sure that the NPA gets all the necessary assistance from the Federal Government.”

Aliko Dangote clarified that initiatives are underway to increase exports outside of Nigeria.

“We will soon be massively expanding our export operations. For some of you who have been to our cement factory in Itori, we’re already exporting cement out of Nigeria. We have a whole factory of six million tons dedicated to cement export.

In the next couple of weeks, he said,

“We will start exporting coal out of Nigeria. Our fertiliser export will be almost like eight cargoes. The refinery operations will not export less than 25 million tons of various products. We will also be exporting about 600,000 to 700,000 metric tons of polypropylene. So when you are talking about export, we are going to be very big.

“In the next two years, we will be exporting about 16,000 tons of fertiliser. When you talk about 16,000 tons of fertiliser, it’s about $6.5 million to $7 million revenue that will be coming into the country daily.

“With our export programme, our company will be the major supplier of foreign exchange earnings in Nigeria.

“So the operations of Nigerian ports will double in the next one or two years.”

Aliko Dangote further clarified that initiatives are underway to increase exports outside Nigeria.

Tinubu takes action on seaport

Legit.ng reported that the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government gave the go-ahead for the maintenance dredging of the $1.5bn Lekki Deep seaport channel.

The Lagos-based sea port would be dredged from its present 16.5 metres to 17 metres in the first instance, as the federal government targets a depth of 19 metres.

The managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Abubakar Dantsoho, urged Lekki Port to consolidate transhipment volumes to landlocked neighbouring countries.

Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng