APM Terminals commits $60m to make Onne Nigeria’s first green port
Nigeria has taken a step towards decarbonising its ports with a new partnership between APM Terminals and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to chart a roadmap for electrifying container freight.
The agreement, signed on Monday at the Dutch Consulate in New York during the Global African Business Initiative, will see APM Terminals commit $60 million to fund the collaboration. Under the plan, Onne Port in Rivers State will become Nigeria’s first green port.
“We believe Nigeria is ideally situated to lead West Africa’s transition to low-carbon logistics by electrifying its container transport sector,” said Frederik Klinke, chief executive of APM Terminals Nigeria. He said that the country could leapfrog fossil-fuel infrastructure by adopting proven electric technologies, with a phased roadmap for container logistics already being designed.
Abubakar Dantsoho, managing director of the NPA, said the move would position Nigeria as a continental leader in sustainable port operations.
“By this development, the Onne Port will be the first green port in Nigeria, thereby promoting the decarbonisation efforts within the transportation ecosystem,” he said.
The MOU builds on a study presented by APM Terminals at the Decarbonising Infrastructure in Nigeria Summit in July, which concluded that electrified container freight could unlock private investment, create skilled jobs and deliver more reliable energy supply.
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But the report stressed that coordination between public and private actors will be essential to make the transition work.
Jeethu Jose, managing director of the West Africa Container Terminal (WACT) in Onne, said the partnership was about long-term growth.
“Our investments are for our shared future and for the people living in the region, and we look forward to driving this project with our stakeholders in the port industry.”
