Lekki Deep Seaport Expands Market Share as Apapa Port Records Decline in Nigeria’s Trade Network

Nigeria’s maritime trade landscape is undergoing a significant shift as Lekki Deep Seaport continues to strengthen its position in the country’s cargo and export network, steadily reducing the long-standing dominance of Apapa Port.

Fresh data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) indicates that while Apapa Port remains Nigeria’s largest gateway for international trade, its share of total imports and exports is declining as newer and expanding ports, particularly Lekki Deep Seaport, attract increasing volumes of cargo and trade activity.

The development emerges from an analysis of the NBS Q1 2026 Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics Report, specifically the “Trade by Top 10 Posts/Ports of Operation” data, compared with corresponding figures from the first quarter of 2025. The figures reveal a gradual redistribution of trade volumes across Nigeria’s major ports, highlighting changing dynamics within the country’s maritime sector.

Despite retaining its position as the nation’s leading trade gateway, Apapa Port records a notable decline in export volumes and market share during the review period.

According to the NBS data, exports processed through Apapa Port fall to N15.48 trillion in the first quarter of 2026, compared with N17.74 trillion in the corresponding period of 2025. As a result, the port’s share of Nigeria’s total exports drops significantly from 86.12 percent in Q1 2025 to 73.14 percent in Q1 2026.

Industry analysts interpret the decline not as a collapse in Apapa’s importance but as evidence of increasing participation by other ports in the country’s trade ecosystem. The figures suggest that Nigeria’s export activities are becoming more geographically distributed, reducing the concentration previously associated with Apapa Port.

The biggest beneficiary of this shift is Lekki Deep Seaport, which records the fastest growth among Nigeria’s major ports.

Operational since April 2023, the port continues to gain strategic relevance, particularly among businesses operating within the Lekki Free Trade Zone. The facility also serves large-scale industrial projects in the area, including the Dangote Refinery and other manufacturing investments that rely on efficient logistics infrastructure.

The latest data shows that exports handled through Lekki Deep Seaport surge to N3.29 trillion in Q1 2026, representing a dramatic increase from N303.62 billion recorded in Q1 2025.

This remarkable growth pushes the port’s share of national exports to 15.53 percent, up from just 1.47 percent a year earlier. The figures represent one of the most significant shifts in Nigeria’s maritime trade sector in recent years.

On the import side, Lekki Deep Seaport also records substantial gains. Imports processed through the port rise to N2.51 trillion in Q1 2026, compared with N1.70 trillion in Q1 2025. Consequently, the port’s share of Nigeria’s total imports increases from 10.99 percent to 18.43 percent during the period under review.

The strong performance enables Lekki Deep Seaport to surpass both Tin Can Island Port and Onne Port in overall trade contribution, reinforcing its status as a rapidly expanding secondary trade hub within Nigeria’s maritime network.

The growth also builds on momentum recorded in 2025. Earlier trade data showed that between the first and third quarters of 2025, Lekki Deep Seaport handled approximately N6.07 trillion in exports, making it the second-largest export gateway in the country after Apapa Port, which processed N52.57 trillion during the same period.

Meanwhile, other major ports report mixed performances during the first quarter of 2026.

Tin Can Island Port maintains relatively stable import volumes, recording N1.95 trillion in imports, a figure largely unchanged from the corresponding period of 2025. However, export activities weaken considerably as exports decline to N883.93 billion, down from N1.49 trillion recorded a year earlier. The figures point to reduced export throughput despite stable import operations.

Onne Port records a more moderate performance. Imports processed through the port decline slightly to N1.23 trillion from N1.30 trillion in Q1 2025. However, exports experience a marginal increase, rising to N743.18 billion from N728.53 billion, indicating steady but limited growth in trade activity.

The NBS report also highlights trade activities at other operational gateways across the country.

The Lagos Free Trade Zone records N309.12 billion in imports and N83.84 billion in exports, reflecting continued industrial activity within the zone.

At Murtala Muhammed International Airport, exports decline to N73.85 billion, compared with N114.08 billion recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2025. However, imports through the airport increase to N553.77 billion, underscoring its growing role in high-value and time-sensitive cargo movement.

Similarly, Seme Border Post records an improvement in export activity. Exports rise to N37.32 billion from N27.25 billion in Q1 2025, suggesting a modest recovery in formal cross-border trade along Nigeria’s western corridor.

The continued rise of Lekki Deep Seaport reflects broader changes in Nigeria’s maritime infrastructure and logistics strategy. Designed as a deep-water facility capable of handling larger vessels and higher cargo volumes, the port was developed to expand Nigeria’s trade capacity and support growing industrial activity within the Lekki axis. Since commencing commercial operations in April 2023, the facility has increasingly emerged as a key gateway for imports, exports, manufacturing, and industrial logistics.

For Nigeria’s maritime sector, the latest figures signal a gradual transition toward a more diversified port system, where cargo traffic is distributed across multiple gateways rather than concentrated overwhelmingly at Apapa Port.

While Apapa remains the country’s largest trade hub by a significant margin, the rapid growth of Lekki Deep Seaport suggests that competition among Nigeria’s ports is intensifying. The trend could ultimately improve efficiency, reduce congestion, and support the country’s broader trade and industrialisation objectives.

The Q1 2026 data therefore confirms that Lekki Deep Seaport is no longer emerging—it is increasingly becoming a central pillar of Nigeria’s maritime trade architecture, reshaping cargo movement patterns and redefining the balance of power among the nation’s ports.