WAF Shipping Focus: Week 4
- Agwe Logistics Solutions
- Feb 1
- 4 min read
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) played host to the Consul-General of the United Arab Emirates in Nigeria, Salem Al-Jaberi, at its Marina headquarters in Lagos, signalling a renewed drive to strengthen trade relations between both nations. The visit underscores the Federal Government’s determination to expand non-oil trade and reinforce strategic maritime partnerships with the UAE. The engagement follows Nigeria’s recent participation in Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, where the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with AD Ports to explore collaboration in port development, maritime logistics and digital innovation. Building on this
momentum, the NPA’s Managing Director, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, received the UAE envoy to advance discussions on practical areas of cooperation. Dantsoho emphasised that NPA is acting on the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy to deepen synergy with Abu Dhabi, particularly in expanding trade volumes beyond the oil sector.
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A delegation from the United States Coast Guard (USCG) has expressed high confidence in the safety protocols at the Tema and Takoradi ports following the conclusion of a three-day assessment of Ghana’s maritime security infrastructure. The inspection, conducted in collaboration with the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) under the USCG’s International Port Security (IPS) Program, serves as a critical verification of Ghana’s compliance with the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code. It serves as a vital stress test of a port’s security ecosystem, evaluating physical infrastructure, operational procedures, and information sharing protocols. The USCG delegation, which was led by Mr Scott
Wolland, the Chief of Capacity Building and Technical Assistant, and accompanied by Crystal Wilson and Stephanie Alvarez, worked together with their Ghanaian counterparts to conduct the inspection from January 13 to 16, 2026. The exercise evaluated physical infrastructure, identity management, and information-sharing protocols at the Ghana Ports.
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Minister Adegboyegha Oyetola, appears to have continued from were Engr. Muazu Jaji Sambo, the immediate past minister of Transportation, had stopped to facilitate the disbursement of the Cabotage Finance Fund, CVFF, established under the Coastal Inland Shipping Act of 2003, by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Engr. Sambo, who was said to have had the backing of deceased former President Muhammadu Buhari, to facilitate the disbursement of the fund to qualified local shipowners, according to an insider had thrown his weight on Barshir Yusuf Jamoh, the immediate past Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, do so in order to strengthen their operations to compete with the foreign shipping companies in lifting both inward and outward bound Nigeria cargoes.Jamoh, the Kaduna state born technocrat was said to have effectively used his close working relationship with the
Taraba state born politician, and minister of Transportation to get the approval of the Nigerian President to engage Zenith, Polaris, Jaiz, Union and United Bank of African, popular, Pan African Bank, as Primary Lending Institutions, PLI, to drive the disbursement of the CVFF.
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In a major joint operation, the Apapa Area command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted 347.5 kilograms of Canadian Loud; a potent strain of cannabis, hidden inside an imported Toyota Sienna vehicle. In a statement issued by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Chief Superintendent of Customs, Isah Sulaiman, the illicit substance was concealed in 13 bags within one of four vehicles contained in a single import consignment. The seizure occurred barely 24 hours after Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, Customs Area Controller (CAC) Apapa Port Command, received a World Customs Organisation (WCO) Certificate of Merit.A detailed weighing confirmed the breakdown as 10 bags at 25kg each, one at 29kg, and two at 34.5kg and 34kg respectively, totalling 347.5kg. “This marks the fourth significant joint drug interception by the NCS and NDLEA at Apapa Port within two months.
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The Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) has reaffirmed its commitment to safe, compliant and sustainable fruit importation, warning that Nigeria must not become a dumping ground for substandard agricultural produce. The assurance was given at a high-level stakeholders’ meeting with fruit importers held in Lagos, where the Comptroller General of NAQS, Dr. Vincent Isegbe, engaged operators, sister agencies and industry leaders on strengthening collaboration and regulatory compliance in the sector. Speaking at the forum, Dr. Isegbe stressed that the country must avoid actions that amount to self-sabotage or the creation of unnecessary barriers to legitimate trade. He noted that NAQS, as Nigeria’s National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO), has the statutory responsibility to protect the nation’s agricultural economy while facilitating compliant and safe imports. According to him, only fruits that meet sanitary and phytosanitary standards should be allowed into the country in order to safeguard public health and local production.
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The Ghana Manganese Company (GMC), in collaboration with the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), and Cosco Shipping Lines, has welcomed and inaugurated the largest bulk carrier vessel to ever berth in any West African Waters to the Takoradi Port. The vessel, christened MV CSB Years, with a capacity of 300,000 metric tonnes, arrived at the Takoradi Port as part of strategic moves to enhance business growth of the GMC in line with its 10million target for 2026. Speaking at a ceremony to mark the arrival of the vessel, Mr Joseph Nelson, the Western Regional Minister, said the arrival of the MV CSB Years signalled Ghana’s
emergence as a serious maritime force on the global stage. He said this achievement demonstrated Ghana's readiness to handle mega-vessels, expand bulk export capacity, and compete among leading international port destinations. “With a capacity of approximately 300,000 metric tonnes, this vessel represents scale, confidence, efficiency, and trust in Ghana’s port infrastructure, particularly the strategic Port of Takoradi,” he noted.
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