Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), has announced that Nigerian ports receive the largest volume of freight destined for West African ports from Antwerp, Belgium, each year.
Dantsoho shared this information after a meeting with Pieter Leenknegt, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to Nigeria, revealing that Nigeria captures the largest market share, with over six million tonnes of freight from Antwerp annually.
He also expressed the NPA’s commitment to strengthening bilateral ties with Belgium to enhance the efficiency of Nigeria’s seaports and boost trade volumes between the two countries.
Dr. Dantsoho highlighted that the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has provided the necessary support to increase Nigeria’s stake in the trade statistics of West and Central Africa.
“The annual volume of West African freight handled by Antwerp reaches almost 17 million tonnes, representing a market share of 31 percent, with Nigeria accounting for the largest share at over six million tonnes,” he stated.
“The Port of Antwerp is renowned in Africa as the maritime hub of Europe, due to its extensive supply chain connections. The synergy between maritime, logistics, and industrial activities creates a unique platform. Among the ports in North-West Europe, the Belgian Port of Antwerp offers the most direct services to West Africa,” Dantsoho added.
“The annual volume of West African freight in Antwerp amounts to almost 17 million tonnes resulting in a market share of 31 per cent. Nigeria, with a volume of over 6 million tonnes, accounts for the largest part.”
Dr Dantsoho also disclosed readiness of the authority to leverage on the technical know-how of the Port of Antwerp, Belgium, to operationalise the Port Community System (PCS).
He argued that leveraging on Antwerp port technical know-how will prepare the country towards actualising the forthcoming National Single Window Project of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.
“This meeting is focused on leveraging the know-how of the Antwerp Port Community in the area of Port operational efficiency to add fillip to the Authority’s effort at operationalizing the Port Community System (PCS) as quickly as possible in readiness for the forthcoming National Single Window Project of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration,” he stated
