BUA’S $85M PORT HARCOURT INVESTMENT SIGNALS NEW ERA FOR EASTERN PORTS – NPA

BUA’S $85M PORT HARCOURT INVESTMENT SIGNALS NEW ERA FOR EASTERN PORTS – NPA
By Prince Benson Davies The Nigerian Ports Authority says BUA Group’s $85 million expansion of its terminal at the Port Harcourt Port Complex will be pivotal to Nigeria’s ambition of becoming a leading maritime hub in West and Central Africa.

The Authority stated that beyond increasing cargo volumes, the project will help deepen the utilisation of eastern ports and ease the pressure on the Lagos corridor, which has carried the bulk of Nigeria’s maritime trade for decades.

Speaking when he received the Chairman of BUA Group, Alhaji Abdul Samad Rabiu, at the NPA Headquarters in Marina, Lagos, on Thursday, the Managing Director, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, described BUA as one of the Authority’s strategic stakeholders and pledged continued institutional backing for the project.

Dr. Dantsoho noted that the investment aligns with Federal Government policy to rebalance cargo traffic across the country’s seaports. He said the expansion will strengthen BUA’s maritime logistics capacity while enhancing the commercial relevance of the Port Harcourt Port.

“BUA has invested heavily in Lagos, and now they are making a similar commitment in Port Harcourt. This is the balance we need. When volumes grow in the east, we export more, we import more, and we create more value from those transactions,” he said.

According to him, increased cargo throughput at Port Harcourt will stimulate import and export activities, improve foreign exchange earnings, and create jobs in the South-South region. He added that NPA’s strategy as the nation’s trade gateway is anchored on close collaboration with terminal operators to build efficient, smart and globally competitive ports.

Citing recent assessments by S&P Global and the World Bank which ranked Apapa and Tin Can Island among the world’s most improved ports, Dr. Dantsoho said the ratings reflect the impact of ongoing reforms. He stressed that sustained engagement between NPA and private investors remains critical to long-term growth.

“We know that we have to come to them. They know that they have to come to us. That is how progress happens, and we are achieving that,” he stated.

In his remarks, the BUA Chairman thanked NPA Management for its consistent support and disclosed that the expansion project is now at an advanced stage. He said the development will add about 600 metres of additional quay frontage, significantly boosting the company’s capacity to receive vessels and handle raw materials for its expanding manufacturing operations.

Rabiu explained that the expansion is being driven by rapid growth across BUA’s food and manufacturing businesses. He projected that more than two million tonnes of raw materials and finished products will pass through the Port Harcourt facility annually once completed next year.

“The expansion is driven by BUA’s rapid growth across its food and manufacturing businesses. By the time we are done, inshallah next year, we will be having almost over two million tonnes of products being imported as raw materials to Port Harcourt, and for that we need a terminal, we need a facility,” he said.

He added that the projected volume translates to about six to seven vessels calling at the terminal every month, making efficient port infrastructure critical to sustaining BUA’s supply chain.

Rabiu noted that the investment is part of BUA’s broader expansion across cement, food processing, mining and infrastructure, where efficient maritime logistics remain central to success.

The BUA Chairman also advocated greater investment in port infrastructure outside Lagos, arguing that given Nigeria’s economic size, the country needs a more geographically balanced port system to support trade and industrialization.

Commending the NPA team, he described the Authority as competent and supportive of private-sector investment. He also thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for appointing what he called a dedicated management team at NPA.

Rabiu recalled that BUA’s Port Harcourt terminal concession had previously been revoked, but expressed satisfaction that the facility is now being expanded with NPA’s cooperation. He described the development as proof that government-private sector collaboration can deliver results.

Experts say the project will increase cargo traffic through the eastern maritime corridor, deepen private-sector participation in port infrastructure, and advance government’s objective of a more balanced national port system.