President Tinubu to Inaugurate Upgraded West Africa Container Terminal
Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu, is set to officially inaugurate the upgraded West Africa Container Terminal in Onne, Rivers State, next week Wednesday. The terminal operator, APM Terminals, announced the event in a statement on Sunday.
The upgraded project, valued at $115 million, or approximately N178.2 billion, commenced in 2021 and marks a significant milestone in the history of Nigerian ports. The Managing Director of WACT, Jeethu Jose, expressed excitement about the completion, stating that it will be a game-changer for Nigeria.
The terminal, located within the oil and gas free zone in Onne, Rivers State, is Nigeria’s largest and most efficient container terminal outside Lagos. It is also the country’s first greenfield container terminal to develop under a public-private partnership model.
Strategically situated, the terminal has become a premier gateway for accessing markets beyond the Lagos region and a vital conduit to Eastern Nigeria’s burgeoning economy. In 2020, WACT made history by receiving the largest container vessel ever to berth at any Nigerian port, the Maersk Stadelhorn, which measures 300 meters in length and 48.2 meters in beam, with a capacity to carry approximately 10,000 twenty-foot equivalent units of containers.
The fresh investment of $115 million is a testament to the trust and confidence that APM Terminals has in the Nigerian economy, contributing to the company’s purpose of improving lives for all while lifting global trade.
