The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has disclosed that seaports recorded a sharp increase in cargo activity in 2025, with total throughput rising by 24.8 per cent to 129.3 million metric tonnes.
This is contained in the 2025 operational performance report released by the NPA on Wednesday.
According to the report, the 2025 figure represents an increase from 103.6 million metric tonnes recorded in 2024.
The authority described the record as one of the “most significant annual growth rates in recent maritime history”.
While imports continued to account for the larger share of cargo traffic, the NPA said exports made up 39 per cent of total throughput, compared to 59.2 percent for inward cargo.
The report added that transshipment contributed 1.8 per cent.
The report also said the ports recorded a 205.8 percent increase in transshipment containers.
Providing further breakdown, the NPA said Lekki port, as the leading port by cargo throughput, accounted for 40.6 percent of total volumes.
NPA said overall ship calls increased by nearly 12 percent to 4,477 vessels in 2025 and that by cargo type, liquid bulk including petroleum products and chemicals remained dominant at 54.7 percent of total throughput, while containerised cargo accounted for 24 percent.
In the report, Abubakar Dantsoho, managing director (MD) of the NPA, said the performance strengthens Nigeria’s position as a competitive player in regional and global trade.
