By Ade Jacobs
The Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, has disclosed that the Badagry Deep Seaport project in Lagos state, is a strategic step towards making Nigeria a global maritime hub.
When completed, the seaport is expected to cover four kilometres of quay and approximately 620 hectares of dedicated port facilities. It will also include facilities for handling containers, dry bulk, liquid bulk, roll-on-roll-off, and general cargo, as well as oil and gas operations support.
The facility will have about 480 hectares of Industrial and Logistic Park Zone, the agency said.
Jamoh stated this during a courtesy visit to the paramount ruler of Badagry Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, De-Wheno Aholu Menu Toyi 1, the Akran of Badagry.
The NIMASA boss thanked the traditional ruler for allocating land to NIMASA to establish a presence in the community, as Nigeria’s maritime regulatory authority, before the take-off of the deep seaport project, which foundation is expected to be laid by the end of the month.
He said, “Nigeria is strategically located at a significant point in the Atlantic Ocean, with about 853 kilometres coastline, which gives us a geographic advantage to become a maritime hub for not only the West and Central African region, but also the entire maritime trading world. And with over 70 per cent of cargo bound for West and Central Africa destined for Nigeria, we also have a huge commercial advantage.
“The Badagry Deep Seaport, planned to be Africa’s biggest and most advanced seaport when it becomes operational, would help to maximise this extraordinary maritime potential. This is more so given the strategic place of Badagry in the region.”
Jamoh thanked the Akran for his hospitality, promising to ensure the implementation of the deep seaport project.
The Badagry Deep Seaport project is being executed through a public-private partnership among the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment, and Lagos state government, as well as a private consortium of APM Terminals, Orlean Invest, Oando, Terminal Investment Limited (TIL), and Macquarie.
It’s located in the Gberefun area of Badagry, along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, about 55 kilometres (34 miles) west of the Apapa and Tin Can Island Ports.