Ogun State is positioning its coastline for a major industrial transformation with plans for a deep-sea port and a 10,000-hectare special economic zone, backed by an initial investment of more than $7 billion.
The proposed development at Ogun Waterside brings maritime trade, manufacturing, logistics and energy infrastructure into one commercial corridor, with more than 50,000 direct jobs projected when the projects reach full development. Additional employment is expected across the businesses and services that grow around the industrial cluster.
Central to the plan is the Gateway Deep Seaport, designed with a four-kilometre berth and an 18-metre draft. The facility is expected to accommodate larger, deeper-draft vessels serving international trade and provide an alternative maritime gateway for Nigeria.
Its development comes against the backdrop of persistent pressure on the Lagos port corridor. Apapa and Tin Can Island handle substantial volumes of Nigeria’s maritime traffic, while congestion, draft limitations and cargo delays have contributed to higher logistics costs for businesses and consumers.
The proposed Ogun port is intended to ease some of that pressure while providing direct maritime access to an industrial zone planned across 10,000 hectares.
The Ogun State Blue Marine Special Economic Zone is expected to attract manufacturing and industrial companies, with imported inputs processed into finished goods and Nigerian raw materials converted into products for export.
The arrangement gives the port an economic role beyond cargo handling. Factories and processing businesses within the zone would generate cargo for the port, while the port would provide an outlet to international markets.
The potential market stretches beyond Nigeria. The Gateway Deep Seaport is expected to support trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area, giving businesses operating from the zone access to a continental market of approximately 1.4 billion people.
Transport links will also be crucial to that ambition as the 700-kilometre Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway is expected to provide an important connection to the development. Its 28-kilometre Ogun State section is scheduled for completion before the end of this year and will link the port and industrial zone with Lagos, the Nigerian hinterland and markets across Africa.
The coastal development is also expected to form part of a strategic cluster near the proposed Nigerian Navy Operating Base and Dockyard and the OK LNG Project, linking industrial production with maritime infrastructure, security, energy and gas exports.
The investment agreements underpinning the project were signed in Paris in the presence of President Tinubu by the Ogun State Government and DP World, one of the world’s leading ports and logistics operators.
Governor Dapo Abiodun led the Ogun delegation, which included Secretary to the State Government Tokunbo Talabi; the Commissioners of Finance, Works, Industry, Trade and Investment, and Transport; and a representative of the host community.
Also present were the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola; Nigeria’s Ambassador to France, Emmanuel Ayodele Oke; Nigerian Ports Authority Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho; DP World Group Chief Executive Officer, Yuvraj Narayan; SkyKapital Managing Director, Karim Noujaim; and DP World Senior Vice President, Business Development, Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Office, Mohammed Rashid Ismail.
At the signing, President Tinubu assured domestic and international investors that the Federal Government would maintain regulatory clarity, policy stability and a predictable business environment for long-term investment.
He said federal authorities would provide the institutional backing required for the projects, support road, rail and power connectivity, strengthen investment security and the maritime domain, and address unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles.
The President credited the Ogun State Government with securing the land, structuring the investment framework and reducing project risks for international investors. He described the arrangement as an example of cooperative federalism, with state initiative matched by federal support.
“Nigeria lies at the heart of West African trade. Yet, our strategic advantage has been constrained by port congestion, inadequate draft capacity and logistics bottlenecks that increase the cost of doing business. These projects respond directly to those constraints,” President Tinubu said.
He urged Ogun State and the investors to maintain the momentum created by the agreements and proceed with implementation, while stressing that the projects must operate within Nigeria’s laws and regulatory requirements.
The proposed development represents a significant expansion of Ogun’s coastal ambitions: a deep-water port capable of receiving larger vessels, an industrial zone designed to attract manufacturers, road infrastructure connecting the corridor to the national economy, and nearby energy and maritime projects.
At full development, the plan is expected to generate more than 50,000 direct jobs and contribute to non-oil export earnings, while giving Nigerian producers a new route into the African market.
“This is how modern infrastructure should be delivered: as an integrated ecosystem, operated to world-class standards and supported by a serious and responsible government. This is nation-building in its most practical form,” President Tinubu said.
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