Nigeria: NPA Moves to Resolve Rail, Infrastructure Challenges At Dry Ports

What the report says

The Nigerian Ports Authority has begun efforts to tackle rail access and infrastructure problems at inland dry ports, a move aimed at improving cargo movement, easing logistics delays and strengthening the country’s maritime supply chain. The development was reported by Daily Trust and comes after the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy transferred oversight of inland dry ports to the NPA.

NPA Managing Director Abubakar Dantsoho raised the issue during a meeting in Lagos with representatives of the Dala Inland Dry Port and Funtua Inland Dry Port. He said the dry ports need better equipment, stronger technical capacity and upgraded facilities to support rising cargo volumes and to keep pace with wider modernization at Nigeria’s seaports.

Dantsoho also said digital systems such as the Port Community System and the National Single Window should be matched by physical improvements at inland terminals. He encouraged more private-sector investment and pointed to APM Terminals’ export processing terminal in northern Nigeria as an example of such participation.

Representatives of the dry port delegation welcomed the transfer of oversight to the NPA and said the transition had been smooth. They also pointed to rail connectivity gaps and other logistics constraints affecting operations. The NPA said it plans to visit the Dala and Funtua facilities to assess their condition and identify needs.