The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and President of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has highlighted the Eto truck call-up system, National Single Window and Port Community System as key digital initiatives supporting improvements in Nigeria’s port performance.
Dantsoho, who spoke at the African Ports Conference (COPAF2026) in Casablanca, Morocco, said the initiatives contributed to a 24.8 per cent increase in Nigeria’s cargo throughput in 2025, alongside strong World Bank Container Port Performance Index rankings for Tin Can Island Port and Apapa Port.
He stressed that African ports must establish effective digital foundations before deploying artificial intelligence (AI) to improve operational efficiency, vessel planning, landside coordination, revenue assurance, security and predictive maintenance.
According to him, smart ports should be measured by tangible operational results, including faster vessel turnaround times, shorter cargo dwell times, lower costs, reliable systems and proper revenue accounting, rather than technology purchases alone.
The NPA chief also pointed to Nigeria’s $1 billion Lagos ports modernisation programme as part of the broader effort to improve port infrastructure, efficiency and competitiveness.
Dantsoho made the remarks at the conference, which focused on the theme, “Smart African Port: Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity for Performance.”
He joined the Secretary-General of the Association of African Ports Authorities (AGPAOC), the Director-General of the Port of Sierra Leone, the Director-General of the Centre de Recherche et de Formation (CRF), and other industry leaders to discuss how artificial intelligence and cybersecurity could improve port performance across Africa.
