From congestion to global contender: How Tincan & Apapa Ports broke into World Bank’s top 20 most improved ports
CHIGOZIE AMADI
For years, the mention of Apapa and Tincan Island Ports conjured the same images: endless truck queues stretching 20km back to Mile 2, cargo delays that ate into profit margins, and a reputation as one of the world’s most frustrating gateways. As today the that narrative just changed.
The World Bank, in its Container Port Performance Index for 2025 released in June 2026, has placed both Tincan Island Ports Complex and Apapa Port Complex in its “Top 20 Port Improvement” category. It’s a global scorecard that measures one thing with brutal honesty: vessel time in port. Less waiting, faster turnaround, better trade.
For the Nigerian Ports Authority under Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, the recognition is more than a ranking. It’s proof that a continuous improvement model, backed by federal policy and private investment, can drag decades of inefficiency into the modern trade lane.
The Yardstick That Matters: Time in Port ,The CPPI is not a popularity contest. The World Bank designed it to cut through perception and measure hard data: how long vessels spend from arrival to departure. That single metric dictates shipping costs, insurance, and ultimately the price of goods on Nigerian shelves.
The index enables comparisons across 400+ ports globally and over time. It shows where performance is climbing and where bottlenecks remain. Making the “Top 20 Improved” list means Apapa and Tincan didn’t just get better than before — they improved faster than most ports worldwide.
In practical terms: ships that once burned days and millions of naira waiting at anchorage are now turning around faster. Containers move quicker from quay to truck or rail. Demurrage costs drop. For importers and exporters, time is money, and the ports are giving some of it back.
The Dantsoho Doctrine: Continuous Improvement, Not Quick Fixes
Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho took over NPA’s management with a clear mandate: treat port efficiency as a daily discipline, not a one-off project. The “continuous improvement paradigm” he’s pushed has 3 visible legs:
Infrastructure & Equipment Modernization: You can’t run a 21st-century port on 1980s cranes. The NPA’s drive, supported by President Bola Tinubu’s investor-friendly posture, has attracted fresh capital for quay upgrades, deeper berths, and new cargo handling equipment. Modern tools mean fewer breakdowns and faster vessel operations.
Process & Technology Reform: Truck congestion at Apapa was as much a process failure as an infrastructure one. NPA’s push for automation, truck call-up systems, and better terminal coordination has reduced the chaos. When trucks arrive only when there’s space, the roads breathe. When documentation goes digital, paperwork doesn’t stall ships.
Stakeholder Alignment: Ports don’t work in isolation. Shipping lines, terminal operators, freight forwarders, customs, and haulage firms all have to move in sync.
Dantsoho’s management has leaned heavily on collaboration with the Hon. Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, to align policy with operations. The result: fewer friction points, more accountability.
Why This Matters for Nigeria’s Economy
The port improvement story lands at a critical moment for Nigeria’s trade balance. NPA’s frontline role as the platform for exports and imports is already showing up in national numbers. Since 2024, Nigeria has posted successive trade surpluses year-on-year. The National Bureau of Statistics reported N7.54 trillion surplus in Q1 2026 alone.
Efficient ports are the engine of that surplus.
When Apapa and Tincan move cargo faster, Nigerian exports — from cocoa to manufactured goods — reach foreign buyers quicker and cheaper.
When imports clear faster, raw materials get to factories sooner, cutting production costs.
Dr. Dantsoho put it plainly in his reaction to the World Bank report: “With the investor-friendliness of President @officialABAT providing the gravitas needed for increased investment to implement our port infrastructure and equipment modernization drive coupled with the unflinching support from the Honorable Minister @FMoMBENigeria, @GboyegaOyetola, we have all it takes to advance the fortunes of trade and boost the national economy.”Translation: policy stability + targeted investment + competent management = trade gains.
From “Problem Ports” to “Proof of Concept”For decades, Apapa and Tincan were used as case studies of what not to do. Traffic gridlock, revenue leakage, and manual processes made them symbols of Nigeria’s infrastructure challenge. The World Bank recognition flips that script.
It turns both ports into a proof of concept: that reform is possible even in complex, high-volume environments. If Apapa, with its density and history, can climb global improvement rankings, then the model can be replicated at Calabar, Onne, Warri, and beyond.
The timing is also strategic. Global supply chains are being redrawn post-pandemic. Ports that can guarantee speed and predictability are winning new shipping routes. Nigeria, with its large consumer market and position on the Gulf of Guinea, can’t afford to be left out.
The CPPI ranking sends a signal to Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM and others: Nigeria’s main ports are worth your vessel time.
What Still Needs WorkBeing “most improved” is not the same as “best in class.” The CPPI still shows gaps. Vessel time in port at Apapa and Tincan remains higher than top global hubs like Jebel Ali or Rotterdam.
Landside access, rail connectivity, and full automation are unfinished business.But improvement is a journey, not a destination. The value of the Top 20 nod is that it validates the direction. It tells investors, traders, and Nigerians that the reforms aren’t just press releases — they’re measurable.
The Bigger Picture: Ports as Economic Multipliers
Ports are not just concrete and cranes. They’re economic multipliers. Every hour saved at Apapa is an hour gained for a manufacturer in Aba, a farmer in Kaduna, or a trader in Kano. Every container that clears faster reduces cost-push inflation.
That’s why this World Bank recognition matters beyond maritime circles. It connects port reform to kitchen-table economics. Cheaper inputs, faster exports, more jobs.
The NPA under Dantsoho, with backing from President Tinubu and Minister Oyetola, has shown that consistent, data-driven management can move the needle.
It is interesting to note that the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Managing Director, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, is spearheading a comprehensive modernization and digitalization mandate aimed at transforming Nigeria into the maritime hub of West Africa.
Key features and initiatives driven by his administration include:Digitalization & Port Community System (PCS): Deploying a centralized PCS to eliminate human interference, reduce cargo clearance times, and drive overall operational efficiency.
Port Modernization & Deep Seaports: Upgrading existing port infrastructure and championing the development of deep seaports, such as the Lekki and Badagry Deep Seaports, through Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs).
National Single Window (NSW) Integration: Leading NPA’s full integration into the government’s National Single Window to streamline trade documentation and boost customs processing efficiency.E-Call-Up System Improvements:
Optimizing the electronic call-up system for trucks to ensure seamless cargo evacuation and eradicate the historical traffic gridlocks along the Apapa and Tin Can port corridors.
Maritime Hub Leadership: Leveraging his roles as the Chairman of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) and Vice President of the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) to advance African port development on the global stage.For more details on ongoing maritime
From global pariah to global improver in a few years is not a small feat.
As Nigeria pushes to diversify beyond oil and grow non-oil exports, the ports will be the first test. Tincan and Apapa making the World Bank’s Top 20 Improved list says Nigeria is passing that test — and ready for the next one.
The trucks may still queue sometimes. The work isn’t done. But for the first time in a long time, the trajectory at Nigeria’s busiest ports is up, and the world is taking notice.
