Apapa Port accounted for 71.6% of Nigeria’s total trade value in Q1 2025 and 86.12% of total exports

  • Apapa Port accounted for 71.6% of Nigeria’s total trade value in Q1 2025 and 82.12% of total exports
  • Apapa Port handled ₦25.79 trillion worth of goods in Q1 2025, representing 71.6% of total trade. It remains the country’s primary trade hub, far surpassing all other ports combined.
  •  Apapa alone facilitated ₦17.74 trillion or 86.1% of Nigeria’s total exports, showing a high dependency on a single location for outbound goods.
  • Tin Can Island is the only meaningful secondary hub With ₦3.44 trillion (9.5%) in total trade, ranking a distant second. It’s the only other port contributing more than ₦1 trillion each to imports and exports.
  • Lekki has limited export impact, despite handling ₦1.70 trillion in imports. Lekki contributed only ₦0.30 trillion (1.5%) in exports, indicating underutilization for outbound trade.
  • Murtala Muhammed International Airport processed just ₦647.91 billion (1.8%) of total trade, reinforcing that Nigeria’s international trade remains heavily maritime-focused.

Nigeria’s import and export activities by port for the first quarter of 2025 reveals a sharp concentration of trade around a single location.

Apapa Port emerged as the country’s dominant trade hub, handling more than ₦25.79 trillion worth of goods, which amounts to over 71% of Nigeria’s total international trade for the period. Its share of exports was more pronounced, at ₦17.74 trillion, accounting for 86.12% of Nigeria's total exports of goods.

On the import side, Apapa also led with ₦8.05 trillion, representing 52.2% of total imported goods. Tin Can Island Port, while the second busiest, processed far less, with ₦3.44 trillion in combined trade, or just 9.5% of the national total.

Lekki Deep Sea Port handled about ₦2 trillion in trade, mostly from imports, while Port Harcourt (Onne) processed a similar amount. Meanwhile, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, the only air cargo port among the top five, contributed just ₦647 billion (1.8%).

This chart highlights Nigeria’s significant reliance on Apapa Port, which, although efficient, poses a logistical risk if its capacity is overstretched. The significant imbalance also suggests the need to boost export capacity and diversify usage across other ports to enhance resilience and economic efficiency.

Source:

National Bureau of Statistics

Period:

Q1 2025
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