The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Dangote Industries Ltd. (DIL) have joined forces to expand the operational capacity of Nigeria’s maritime economy with the goal of increasing export capacity.

In a visit to NPA headquarters in Lagos on May 26, Dangote Industries CEO Aliko Dangote underscored the importance of collaboration between the two entities and highlighted that DIL was the NPA’s largest client.

Speaking during the event, Dangote said that “We are here to thank the NPA for the great job they are doing. Today, we are the largest customer of the NPA”. He continued: “Our engagement is important to deepen the marine and blue economy and support Nigeria’s export drive”.

Dangote noted that fuel production at the 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) Dangote refinery alone – located in the Lekki Free Zone – would require around 240 shipments of crude oil per year, with each vessel containing 1mn barrels of crude.

An additional 600 ships per year would also be needed to transport other products such as fertiliser.

This amount of shipping would be at levels Nigeria has never seen before, according to Vanguard, so the need for improved port infrastructure and additional tugboats has been billed as a priority.

Indeed, Dangote highlighted these requirements during his speech –noting that the NPA needed “more support from the Federal Government to deliver the required services – from acquiring equipment to additional tugboats”. He said that DIL would also advocate for more federal support to improve efficiency.

While visiting the NPA, Dangote listed plans for export expansion under his leadership: “We have a cement factory with a 6mn-tonne export capacity. In a few weeks, we will begin coal exports. Our refinery will export up to 25mn tonnes of various products, and we’ll also export around 600,000 to 700,000 metric tonnes of polypropylene”.

With these plans, Dangote said that port operations could “more than double in volume,” while adding that fertiliser exports alone could produce around $6.5-$7mn per day in proceeds, placing Dangote Group as a key player and contributor to Nigeria’s forex yield.