Nigeria opens Chinese-built deep seaport, expected to ease congestion and create jobs.
Nigeria has opened a billion-dollar, Chinese-built deep seaport in Lagos to help ease congestion at the country’s ports and become an African hub for transhipment, handling cargoes in transit for other destinations. President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated the port on Monday, as part of his government’s economic policy to build infrastructure and win votes in the upcoming presidential election.
Many of Nigeria’s existing seaports, inherited from the British colonial administration, are no longer functional or operate below capacity. This has resulted in steady gridlock and logistics issues for imports and exports. The new Lekki Deep Sea Port is 75 percent owned by the China Harbour Engineering Company and Singapore’s Tolaram Group, with the balance shared between the Lagos state government and the Nigerian Ports Authority.
The port is one of the largest in West Africa and is expected to create at least 200,000 jobs. China is among the largest bilateral lenders to Nigeria and has funded rail, roads and power stations. Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said that “the size of vessels that will be coming here could be up to four times the size of vessels that currently berth at Tin Can and Apapa Ports [Lagos’s existing ports].”
The new port is expected to help Nigeria become an African hub for transhipment and handle cargoes in transit for other destinations. This will reduce congestion at the country’s ports and improve the efficiency of imports and exports. It is also hoped that the new port will create jobs and help the government win votes in the upcoming presidential election.
The Lekki Deep Sea Port is a major investment in the infrastructure of Nigeria, funded by China and Singapore. It is expected to reduce congestion and improve efficiency at the country’s ports, as well as create jobs and help the government’s economic policy. The port is also expected to help Nigeria become an African hub for transhipment, handling cargoes in transit for other destinations and improving the efficiency of imports and exports.
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