The World Bank's 2025 Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) has placed Tincan Island Port and Lagos Port—commonly referred to as Apapa Port—in the global top 20 most improved container ports between 2020 and 2025. The report, compiled by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence, ranked Tincan Island Port 10th worldwide for improvement, with its CPPI score rising by 42 points from -68 to -26. Apapa Port came in 12th, improving by 35 points from -61 to -26 over the same period. The index measures port efficiency based on vessel turnaround time and operational performance.
Nigeria outperformed several major international ports in the improvement rankings. France's Marseille Port ranked 11th with a 39-point gain, Türkiye's Iskenderun Port placed 13th with 34 points, and India's Jawaharlal Nehru Port followed at 14th with 32 points. Peru's Paita Port was 15th with 32 points, while China's Keelung and Fuzhou ports tied for 16th and 17th with 27 points each. The report is the sixth edition of the CPPI and provides a data-driven assessment of global port efficiency, enabling cross-port and longitudinal comparisons.
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has linked the improvement to its role in sustaining the country's trade surplus. Since 2024, Nigeria has recorded year-on-year trade surpluses, including a N7.54 trillion surplus in the first quarter of 2026, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Abubakar Dantsoho, Managing Director of the NPA, credited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's investor-friendly policies and the support of the Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for creating the environment needed to modernize port infrastructure and equipment.
The NPA celebrates global recognition for port improvements while the same ports still face chronic congestion and cargo delays reported daily by importers. The CPPI score rise contrasts with ground realities where truckers spend days at terminals and demurrage costs remain high. If vessel turnaround time has truly improved, the benefits have yet to reach the small businesses relying on timely cargo clearance. The gap between international rankings and local experience suggests a different metric may be needed—one that measures actual user satisfaction.
Editorial note: AI-assisted opinion, not established fact. Full disclaimer →
