Oyetola Endorses NPA, CHEC Partnership to Dredge Lekki Port

The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has officially approved the maintenance dredging of the Lekki Deep Seaport. This significant development comes as the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) syndicates a partnership with China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) to dredge the Lekki channel.

Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, Managing Director of the NPA, confirmed the approval during a recent tour of the Lekki Port with his senior management team. He noted that a survey of the channels has already been completed.

Dr. Dantsoho explained that the NPA’s decision to award the contract to CHEC was a gesture of good faith, aimed at strengthening the partnership with Lekki Port.

He stated, “Only recently, like he said, the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, with the recommendation of the Nigerian Port Authority, has gotten us the approval for the dredging of the channel here. So this is something that we have been working towards, something that we’ve been discussing for almost two or three years, and finally, we are happy that it has happened.”

He further elaborated on the strategic decision, saying that “in the overriding interest of trade facilitation we are partnering with CHEC on the dredging because of our strong desire to enhance the relationship and make the partnership stronger all in a bid to grow Nigeria’s trade volumes”.

During the tour, Dr. Dantsoho expressed satisfaction with Lekki Port’s operational performance, particularly its throughput trend.
“I’m very happy with what you are doing as management of Lekki Port, and also the NPA team working here,” he remarked.

He highlighted the ease of observing the upward trend in throughput and specifically praised the export segment, which he believes impresses the federal government more.

The NPA boss also commended Lekki Port’s commitment to technology and automation, stating that “You are up to date with the technologies and all that. For you to choose to become more up to date with technology, and we are very happy about that.”

“This focus on modernization is crucial, as it aligns with the impending deployment of the national single window and the port community system, which aims for 95% paperless processes.
“The electronic transaction will completely or near completely eliminate that,” he affirmed, expecting increased revenue generation as a result.

Addressing operational challenges and future plans, Dr. Dantsoho acknowledged several challenges and outlined future plans for the port and its surrounding infrastructure.

He stressed the importance of improving evacuation programs, admitting, “we can’t say that as of today everything is perfect, but I think we are heading there.”

He highlighted the need for a more efficient rail system to connect various routes to the port, believing it will alleviate persistent evacuation issues seen in other ports like Apapa.

During the visit, Lekki Deep SeaPort CEO, Mr. Wang Qiang, presented several key requests for policy support to the NPA MD. These included: Regular Dredging Commitment in order to ensure navigability and accommodate larger vessels.

“Adjustment of Tariff Structure to reflect service costs and inflation. Reduction in Ship Dues: Specifically for large vessels and feeders, to enhance port competitiveness.

“Provision of Night Pilotage Services to enable 24/7 operations and improve vessel turnaround time. Maintenance of Navigational Aids: Ensuring buoys, lights, and other aids are functional.

Cargo Clearance Automation Support for the development of a single window platform.