By Emmanuella Opara | October 29th 2026
KEY POINTS
- The Nigerian Ports Authority has developed a port performance benchmarking framework in collaboration with the Port of Antwerp-Bruges.
- NPA Managing Director Abubakar Dantsoho has offered to share Nigeria’s experience with other African ports.
- Dantsoho proposed a working group on artificial intelligence and data governance under the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa.
- Member ports have been urged to identify high-impact AI pilot projects with measurable performance targets.
- The NPA chief stressed the need for cybersecurity, data sovereignty and interoperability as African ports adopt digital technologies.
MAIN STORY
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has developed a port performance benchmarking framework in collaboration with the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, as it seeks to promote knowledge-sharing and improve digital operations across African ports.
The Managing Director of the NPA, Abubakar Dantsoho, disclosed this in a statement, reaffirming the authority’s readiness to share its experience with other ports across the continent.
Dantsoho, who is also President of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA), proposed the establishment of a working group on artificial intelligence and data governance within the association. He said cybersecurity and digital resilience should form part of the group’s responsibilities.
He also urged member ports to identify one high-impact artificial intelligence pilot project each, supported by a baseline assessment, an accountable implementation team and measurable performance targets.
According to him, ports should begin by identifying operational problems that technology can address rather than adopting products without clearly defined objectives.
Dantsoho said the NPA had held further discussions with technology suppliers and development partners to establish common requirements for cybersecurity, interoperability, skills transfer and data sovereignty.
He called for clear rules on the ownership, access, sharing and protection of port data as authorities increasingly deploy artificial intelligence and interconnected digital platforms.
He said port authorities must define responsibilities for data management under concession agreements and ensure technology contracts support interoperability rather than create unnecessary dependence on individual suppliers.
Dantsoho added that African countries needed to benefit from technological innovation while retaining the ability to determine how their data was accessed, managed and protected.
He also emphasised the importance of trust among port authorities, regulators, terminal operators and other stakeholders, noting that effective information-sharing was necessary for the development of smart ports.
The NPA managing director said the progress of the proposed initiatives should be reported at PMAWCA’s next Annual Council in Sipopo, Malabo. He assured member ports that Nigeria was willing to share both its successes and the challenges encountered during its digital transformation.
He said the ultimate objective of digitalisation should be to improve operational reliability, reduce trade costs, strengthen security and ensure technology investments deliver measurable economic benefits.
Dantsoho urged African port authorities to work together to develop facilities that are more efficient, secure and dependable, with greater emphasis on regional cooperation and local technical capacity.
THE ISSUES
African ports face the challenge of adopting digital technologies while protecting sensitive operational data and avoiding dependence on individual technology providers.
The NPA’s collaboration with the Port of Antwerp-Bruges provides a framework for benchmarking port performance, while the proposed PMAWCA working group could offer a platform for member ports to coordinate their approach to artificial intelligence, data governance and cybersecurity.
The emphasis on measurable targets also points to the need to assess digital projects by their operational outcomes, including vessel-call reliability, cargo dwell times, trade costs, security and revenue accountability, rather than by the technology deployed alone.
WHAT’S BEING SAID
“The NPA had developed a port performance benchmarking framework in collaboration with the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, and I want to express NPA’s readiness to share the experience with other African ports,” Abubakar Dantsoho, Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, said.
“I invite each member port to identify one high-impact AI pilot, with a baseline, an accountable team and a measurable target. Start with the problem, not the product,” Dantsoho said.
“Data sovereignty does not mean isolation. It means benefiting from innovation while retaining the capacity to govern its use,” Dantsoho said.
“Without trust, institutions will not share information. Without shared information, the smart port remains an incomplete promise,” Dantsoho said.
“The smart African port will not be imported. We will build it together,” Dantsoho said.
WHAT’S NEXT
PMAWCA member ports are expected to identify high-impact artificial intelligence pilot projects, while progress on the proposed initiatives is to be reported at the association’s next Annual Council in Sipopo, Malabo.
The NPA has also indicated its willingness to share lessons from Nigeria’s digital transformation with other African port authorities.
BOTTOM LINE
The NPA is seeking to extend cooperation among African ports through performance benchmarking, artificial intelligence and stronger data governance. The success of these efforts will depend on whether digital investments produce measurable improvements in port efficiency, security and the cost of trade.
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