By Joy Enamuna
Nigeria’s seaports are still trailing their counterparts in Cotonou, Benin Republic, and Lome, Togo, in competitiveness despite the country’s larger market, cargo volume and maritime traffic, stakeholders in the sector have said.
The stakeholders spoke ahead of the 2026 Annual Maritime Lecture organised by the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria, with the theme, “Nigeria Ports Modernisation, Charges and the Competitiveness Question.”
A former Acting President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, Dr Kayode Farinto, attributed the challenge to inconsistent government policies, inadequate cargo-handling equipment and uncertainty over the renewal of terminal concession agreements.
Farinto said Nigeria’s huge market and cargo volume remained significant advantages, but stressed that the government needed to review some policies to enable the country compete more effectively with other ports in the sub-region.
He cited the more favourable storage and demurrage arrangements at the Cotonou port as one of the factors making it attractive to importers, noting that users could benefit from waivers and concessions before demurrage charges accumulated.
He said, “Nigeria has the advantage of market and volume. But there are some policies that need to be reviewed for Nigeria to be able to compete favourably.”
Farinto also urged the Federal Government to renew the concession agreements of terminal operators, arguing that uncertainty over the agreements was discouraging investment in modern cargo-handling equipment.
According to him, renewing the agreements would give terminal operators the confidence to invest in new equipment and improve efficiency at the ports.
Similarly, the Founder and Principal Consultant of International Trade Advisory Services Limited, Okey Ibeke, declared that Nigerian ports were currently uncompetitive when compared with neighbouring ports.
Ibeke acknowledged government efforts to modernise cargo clearance, particularly through automation by the Nigeria Customs Service, but said entrenched interests, poor compliance, corruption and interference by security agencies continued to undermine reforms.
He cited persistent problems on the Port Access Road, alleging that individuals benefiting from illegal activities and the chaotic situation had frustrated efforts to improve access to the ports.
Ibeke said poor compliance by importers was at the heart of the competitiveness crisis, alleging that some security personnel exploited false declarations by importers to extort money from them.
He argued that automation alone could not solve the problem unless importers improved compliance with customs regulations, citing practices such as wrong classification, undervaluation and concealment of goods.
The trade consultant also called for attitudinal change among stakeholders, saying corruption had become normalised within the Nigerian port system.
He noted that while ports in Cotonou and Lome also faced cases of non-compliance, false declarations were more likely to result in seizure of cargoes, whereas Nigerian Customs often issues debit notes to allow importers make up duty shortfalls.
Ibeke further warned that strict enforcement of customs regulations could initially lead to resistance from importers and cause congestion, arguing that this had contributed to the difficulty of enforcing compliance in the country.
The stakeholders’ concerns are expected to form part of the discussions at MAMAL 2026, where industry experts will examine how port modernisation, charges, regulation and compliance can determine Nigeria’s competitiveness in the West African maritime sector.
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