A Critical Analysis of Seaport Development in Pre and Post Concession Eras

A Case of the Apapa Port

Abstract

Maritime endowment and demographic profile have been a steady record of the
increasing growth of Nigerian seaports. In light of growing importance of
seaports, this study examines seaport development in Nigeria focusing on the
Apapa port, Nigerias Premier Port. Relevant primary and secondary data were
acquired and analysed using qualitative and quantitative analytical techniques.
The study assesses the output parameters as performance indicators for preconcession (between 2000 and 2005) and post-concession (between 2006 and
2014) eras. The highest ever of cargo throughput in the history of the Apapa
seaport was recorded in the second year of the post-concession era with
approximately 27,913,005 tonnes. The average time awaiting berth for the preconcession period (2000-2005) was 1.26 while the average waiting time for postconcession period (2006 2012) was 1.2. The average turnaround time for the
pre- concession period was 15.56 days while the average turnaround time for
the post-concession period was 8.76 days. This shows a significant improvement
in the time spent (7 days) at the berth in the post-concession period. However, a
lot still needed to be done to attain the international standard of 48hrs. This was
made certain by the increase in the speed of service provided by the new port
operators. Following the upsurge in cargo throughput in the post-concession era,
government at the federal level should be proactive and use the present data to
plan for the future development of the Apapa seaport. The federal government
should equally take legislative and policy measures for the port system
development.