Lekki Port, Nigeria’s first deep-sea port, is currently targeting transhipment cargo from neighboring countries, including Togo, Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire.
The three West Africa countries use to be a hub for transhipment cargoes, particularly for consignments destined for Nigeria.
This development, according to Daily Trust, is a significant milestone for the port, which began commercial operations in 2023.
This is even as it disclosed that it is targeting to achieve about 500,000 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) on or before the last quarter of 2025.
The port’s capacity to handle international transhipment cargo is expected to boost trade and economic growth in the region.
With its state-of-the-art facilities and strategic location, Lekki Port is poised to become a major hub for maritime trade in West Africa.
In fact, the port has already started receiving cargo from international shipping lines, with plans to expand its services to other countries in the region
The Port business outlook in the last two years shows that the Port ramp up operations from 287,000 TEUs in 2024 to 500,000 TEUs by the end of 2025.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday in Lagos, the Deputy Chief Operation Officer of the Port, Mr. Daniel Odibe, said the Port is still targeting more international transhipment with other West African countries.
However, he said out of 1.2 million TEUs capacity, the Port is currently handling only about 20 per cent of its projected cargo throughput.
Though, he attributed the shortfall to prevailing economic challenges that have impacted the port’s operations in recent times.
According to him, the removal of fuel subsidies and the depreciation of the Naira against major foreign currencies have led to a decline in imports.
However, he noted that cargo volumes are now gradually improving as it processed 222,000 TEUs between January and June 2025.
He also noted that transhipment activities to ports in neighbouring and landlocked countries have similarly increased.
He said: “Lekki Port currently receives between 10-12 vessels every month, and Lekki Port transhipment operations have also increased substantially.
“Lekki Port is currently doing international transhipment to Togo, Benin Republic, Ghana and Abidjan, and some landlocked countries. We are picking up because the Naira is gradually picking up.
“Volumes fell because of Naira depreciation and the removal of the subsidy, and this caused a setback in our projection. As of 2023, when we started operations, we did 54,289 TEUs, and as of June of this year, we have done 222,000, and we are projecting 500,000 TEUs,” he added.
According to him, the vessel turnaround time at Lekki Port currently stands 48 hours as against one hour and 25 minutes for truck turnaround time, while cargo dwell time is 16 days.
Meanwhile,, the Chief Operating Officer of the Port, Wang Qiang, said that Lekki Port will continue to raise the bar to international standards.
Wang, who was represented by Chief Operating Officer of the port, Young Qiang said: “We continue to push the envelope, set the bar higher to uphold our position as West Africa’s deepest sea port.
“The result of our unrelenting commitment to world-class standards is visible in the gigantic footprints we are putting on the map of maritime trade in Africa, deploying technology, driving operational efficiency, and shaping regional trade,” he added.
