LAGOS, Sept 24 – Nigeria and DP World MEA FZE have signed Memoranda of Understanding for the development of the Gateway Deep Sea Port and the Ogun State Blue Marine Special Economic Zone, in a proposed investment package valued at more than $7 billion.
The projects are expected to create more than 50,000 direct jobs when fully developed, while supporting additional employment across logistics, manufacturing, maritime services and related industries.
President Bola Tinubu witnessed the signing in Paris alongside Minister of Marine and Blue Economy Adegboyega Oyetola and Nigerian Ports Authority Director-General Abubakar Dantsoho.
The agreements bring together the Federal Government of Nigeria, Ogun State Government, DP World, financial advisers and private-sector partners around an integrated infrastructure and investment framework designed to address logistics constraints and expand Nigeria’s manufacturing and export capacity.
The proposed Gateway Deep Sea Port, located in Ogun Waterside, will feature a four-kilometre berth and an 18-metre draft, allowing it to accommodate larger vessels while providing an alternative gateway to the congested Lagos port corridor.
The port is planned to operate alongside a proposed 10,000-hectare Blue Marine Special Economic Zone, creating an integrated platform for manufacturing, processing, logistics and export-oriented industries.
President Tinubu said the combination of port infrastructure and industrial capacity could help Nigeria move further up the value chain by allowing imported inputs to be processed into finished goods and locally produced raw materials to be prepared for export.
“A port moves cargo; a port integrated with a special economic zone helps to build an economy,” Tinubu said.
Building an Integrated Trade Corridor
The development is expected to form part of a broader multimodal corridor connecting the port and industrial zone with Lagos, the Nigerian hinterland and wider African markets.
The 28-kilometre Ogun section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is expected to provide an important transport link for the emerging corridor. Tinubu also linked the development to proposed investments including the Nigerian Navy Operating Base and Dockyard and the OK LNG Project.
The Federal Government said it would support road, rail and power connectivity, alongside regulatory and institutional measures intended to facilitate implementation and provide greater certainty for investors.
Tinubu said the agreements should ultimately translate into physical investments, employment and economic activity rather than remain at the level of signed documents.
Ogun’s Industrial Ambitions
Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun described the agreements as a significant step in the state’s long-running plans to develop its coastline as a maritime and industrial gateway.
Abiodun said the deep-sea port forms part of a wider strategy to improve connectivity, strengthen supply chains, attract foreign direct investment and expand export capacity across maritime services, logistics, manufacturing and technology.
“Our ambition is not merely to berth ships. We are building a gateway for Ogun and Nigeria’s productive strength to reach Africa and the world,” Abiodun said.
The governor also pointed to the proposed Blue Marine Special Economic Zone as a platform for attracting capital, technology and industrial businesses, with the port providing the logistics infrastructure needed to support production and exports.
The broader infrastructure network is expected to include the Gateway International Airport, dry ports, coastal highway and deep-sea port, creating a multimodal system linking industrial production with domestic and international markets.
The signing represents a renewed push to develop Ogun’s coastal assets as part of Nigeria’s efforts to expand non-oil exports, strengthen industrial capacity and reduce logistics constraints affecting trade.
