₦airaland Forum

The Federal Government has taken a major step towards unlocking the proposed Badagry Deep-Seaport, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by APM Terminals to explore the development of the greenfield port project.

The agreement was signed on Monday, September 7, 2026, in Copenhagen, Denmark, during a Federal Government delegation led by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola.

The MoU commits APM Terminals and Badagry Port Development Limited to exclusive negotiations on the proposed development, with the global terminal operator expressing its commitment to carrying the project forward.

The agreement was signed by the Group Chief Executive Officer of A.P. Moller–Maersk, Vincent Clerc, on behalf of APM Terminals, and Managing Director of Badagry Port Development Limited and Quinn McGrath Marine and Environmental Services Limited, Didi Ndiomu.

Oyetola said the development underscored the Federal Government’s commitment to modernising Nigeria’s maritime infrastructure and creating an enabling environment for long-term private-sector investment.

According to him, partnering with global terminal operators such as APM Terminals on strategic greenfield projects aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision of positioning Nigeria as West Africa’s premier trade and logistics hub.

The proposed Badagry Deep-Seaport is expected to expand Nigeria’s deepwater capacity, accommodate larger container vessels and create new opportunities for transshipment serving Nigeria and other West African markets.

During the Denmark engagement, Oyetola and his delegation also held discussions with senior Danish government officials and representatives of the Danish maritime sector on strengthening cooperation and attracting investment into Nigeria’s maritime industry.

Discussions with APM Terminals also covered the proposed extension of the company’s port concessions at the Lagos Port Complex, Apapa, and the West Africa Container Terminal (WACT), Onne.

APM Terminals’ Managing Director for Africa and Europe, Igor van den Essen, said the company was keen to contribute to Nigeria’s economic growth and strengthen the country’s position as a major West African trade hub.

He said continued investment in its Apapa and Onne concessions, alongside the development of Badagry as a greenfield port, could help ease congestion at existing city ports and create fresh opportunities for trade.

Van den Essen also said public-private partnerships remained important to delivering long-term investment, improving the business environment and enhancing Nigeria’s competitiveness in the region.

Ndiomu described the proposed investment as the beginning of a new phase in Nigeria’s maritime development, saying the Badagry project could help advance the country’s ambition of becoming a major maritime centre in sub-Saharan Africa.

The proposed port is expected to complement existing facilities by providing a new deepwater gateway capable of handling larger vessels and increased cargo volumes.

It is also projected to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity as a regional transshipment hub, allowing cargo destined for other West and Central African markets to be routed through the strategically located facility.

The development is expected to deepen Nigeria’s maritime infrastructure, improve supply-chain resilience and create new opportunities for trade, logistics and investment if the negotiations ultimately lead to the project’s development.

miftaudeen:
This is laudable, good initiative

Zeebuy:
There are at least 9 states with access to the Atlantic coastline, why must everything be focused on Lagos State only? Because it's Tinubu's heirloom?
No wahala, tinubu's reign of terror and impunity will eventually come to an end

Zeebuy:
There are at least 9 states with access to the Atlantic coastline, why must everything be focused on Lagos State only? Because it's Tinubu's heirloom?
No wahala, tinubu's reign of terror and impunity will eventually come to an end

AK481:
only lagos dey get development , a small city .

Penguin2:
That’s laudable?

Apapa Seaport in Lagos.

Lekki Deep Seaport in Lagos.

And now they are planning Badagry Seaport in same Lagos and you call it laudable?

Meanwhile, the seaports Onne, Port Harcourt, Warri, Sapele, Calabar are all comatose.

Benin-Agbor is deadlocked because of the volume of trailers moving containers from Lagos to the East.

But instead of diversifying the seaports, they are concentrating more of them in Lagos.

Later you will have ijiots from Southeast yapping dust that Southeast is benefiting from Tinubu regime. Benefiting from what?

Zeebuy:
There are at least 9 states with access to the Atlantic coastline, why must everything be focused on Lagos State only? Because it's Tinubu's heirloom?
No wahala, tinubu's reign of terror and impunity will eventually come to an end

Penguin2:
That’s laudable?

Apapa Seaport in Lagos.

Lekki Deep Seaport in Lagos.

And now they are planning Badagry Seaport in same Lagos and you call it laudable?

Meanwhile, the seaports Onne, Port Harcourt, Warri, Sapele, Calabar are all comatose.

Benin-Agbor is deadlocked because of the volume of trailers moving containers from Lagos to the East.

But instead of diversifying the seaports, they are concentrating more of them in Lagos.

Later you will have ijiots from Southeast yapping dust that Southeast is benefiting from Tinubu regime. Benefiting from what?

Penguin2:
That’s laudable?

Apapa Seaport in Lagos.

Lekki Deep Seaport in Lagos.

And now they are planning Badagry Seaport in same Lagos and you call it laudable?

Meanwhile, the seaports Onne, Port Harcourt, Warri, Sapele, Calabar are all comatose.

Benin-Agbor is deadlocked because of the volume of trailers moving containers from Lagos to the East.

But instead of diversifying the seaports, they are concentrating more of them in Lagos.

Later you will have ijiots from Southeast yapping dust that Southeast is benefiting from Tinubu regime. Benefiting from what?

Sleekfingers:
Jonathan and Obasanjo also failed to do the necessary too..... As a matter of fact, Jonathan completely failed in that aspect. Despite from the Niger Delta region

Dbestbrest:
Where arew your facts that other states are not having or developing seaports? There is a seaport in Calabar that is currently undergoing expansion. There is a seaport that is currently undergoing construction in Ikot Abasi in Akwa Ibom state. There is a seaport currently generating more revenue than the past in Port Harcourt. There is a sea port in Warri that is currently being expanded. There is a seaport that had just been awarded in Ondo and Ogun States. Edo seaport started operation during Oshiomole. The current super highway from Badagry to Sokoto necessitated the birth of this new one. If you hate Tinubu dont go about spreading misinformation. Let us put the love of the country first, above all things

Zeebuy:
There are at least 9 states with access to the Atlantic coastline, why must everything be focused on Lagos State only? Because it's Tinubu's heirloom?
No wahala, tinubu's reign of terror and impunity will eventually come to an end

Zeebuy:
There are at least 9 states with access to the Atlantic coastline, why must everything be focused on Lagos State only? Because it's Tinubu's heirloom?
No wahala, tinubu's reign of terror and impunity will eventually come to an end

Penguin2:
That’s laudable?

Apapa Seaport in Lagos.

Lekki Deep Seaport in Lagos.

And now they are planning Badagry Seaport in same Lagos and you call it laudable?

Meanwhile, the seaports Onne, Port Harcourt, Warri, Sapele, Calabar are all comatose.

Benin-Agbor is deadlocked because of the volume of trailers moving containers from Lagos to the East.

But instead of diversifying the seaports, they are concentrating more of them in Lagos.

Later you will have ijiots from Southeast yapping dust that Southeast is benefiting from Tinubu regime. Benefiting from what?

kedeojo:
He is a big fool. He had the golden chqnce to develop niger delta but choose to please the norrh with almajiri schools even when they said, they dont want education. He had millitant to his side if he recieve any treat from other region who can easily blow up oil facility if he is resisted to develop our region.

Dbestbrest:
Where arew your facts that other states are not having or developing seaports? There is a seaport in Calabar that is currently undergoing expansion. There is a seaport that is currently undergoing construction in Ikot Abasi in Akwa Ibom state. There is a seaport currently generating more revenue than the past in Port Harcourt. There is a sea port in Warri that is currently being expanded. There is a seaport that had just been awarded in Ondo and Ogun States. Edo seaport started operation during Oshiomole. The current super highway from Badagry to Sokoto necessitated the birth of this new one. If you hate Tinubu dont go about spreading misinformation. Let us put the love of the country first, above all things

kedeojo:
This is one of the reasons i so much dislike jonathan. How can you held a very vital and powerful office and dissapoint a whole region where he comes from who happens to be the place that lay the golden egg. East west road was neglected by him for a whole five years plus, warri and other ports were not revilitalize and onne port was not given the needed priority to compete with apapa by upgrading it. Jonathan cant point to any meaningful project in south south were he hails from.

Penguin2:
That’s laudable?

Apapa Seaport in Lagos.

Lekki Deep Seaport in Lagos.

And now they are planning Badagry Seaport in same Lagos and you call it laudable?

Meanwhile, the seaports Onne, Port Harcourt, Warri, Sapele, Calabar are all comatose.

Benin-Agbor is deadlocked because of the volume of trailers moving containers from Lagos to the East.

But instead of diversifying the seaports, they are concentrating more of them in Lagos.

Later you will have ijiots from Southeast yapping dust that Southeast is benefiting from Tinubu regime. Benefiting from what?

miftaudeen:
This is laudable, good initiative