Nigeria’s Ogun State government and UAE-based global ports operator DP World have signed a deal to develop a deep-sea port and an adjoining special economic zone.
The agreements, signed in Paris on September 24 in the presence of President Bola Tinubu, cover the Gateway Deep Sea Port and the Ogun State Blue Marine Special Economic Zone. The projects are expected to attract more than $7bn in initial investment and create over 50,000 direct jobs, according to Nigeria’s Channels Television.
The proposed port, to be located in Ogun Waterside, is expected to feature a four-kilometer berth and an 18-metre draft. Those specifications would enable it to handle larger vessels and provide an alternative to Nigeria’s congested Lagos port corridor.
The port would be integrated with the planned 10,000-hectare Blue Marine Special Economic Zone, which is intended to support manufacturing, processing, logistics and export-oriented industries. The arrangement is designed to link maritime infrastructure with industrial production and value-added exports.
Tinubu said the projects would help address longstanding logistics and infrastructure constraints while improving Nigeria’s access to African and international markets. “A port moves cargo; a port integrated with a special economic zone helps to build an economy,” he said.
The president also highlighted the importance of the 28-kilometre section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway that runs through Ogun State. The road is expected to connect the port and industrial zone with Lagos, Nigeria’s hinterland and regional markets. Ogun Governor Dapo Abiodun has said the state’s section of the wider highway is expected to be completed before the end of 2026.
Tinubu said the coastal corridor could also support other strategic investments, including a proposed naval base and dockyard and a liquefied natural gas project.
The president assured investors that the federal government would provide policy stability, regulatory clarity and a predictable business environment. However, the agreements are memoranda of understanding, meaning that financing, construction schedules and final implementation arrangements remain to be determined.
