Nigeria’s export-led trade recorded a significant surge, accounting for 39.0 percent of total cargo throughput in 2025.
This is according to the 2025 Operational Performance Report recently released by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
The report stated that total cargo throughput surged by 24.8 percent, rising from approximately 103.6 million metric tons in 2024 to over 129.3 million metric tons in 2025.
Meanwhile, the report said import dominant inward traffic which stood at 59.2 percent.
Accordingly, the report highlighted that containerized cargo, a key indicator of export trade activity, grew significantly as total container traffic increased by 25.7 percent, surpassing 2.1 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs).
This means that export containers grew by 3.1 percent, while import-laden containers surged by 32.8 percent in the period under review.
Further port-to-port breakdown showed that Lekki Port attracted the largest vessels, with an average Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT) of 55,712, slightly higher than Onne Port at 53,022 GRT. Similarly, Apapa and Tin Can Island Port received ships averaging 33,251 GRT and 36,909 GRT, respectively, while Delta Ports handled vessels averaging 17,414 GRT.
The report added that Tin Can Island Port recorded the highest frequency of ship arrivals, accounting for 22.7 percent of total ship calls. Lekki and Onne are increasingly receiving the industry’s “heavyweight” vessels.
Commenting on the performance, NPA’s Managing Director, Abubakar Dantsoho, expressed confidence that the next phase of growth will be driven by the Federal Government–approved bold port modernization program and the implementation of the National Single Window system.
Nigeria’s export-led trade records significant surge
