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The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, Abubakar Dantsoho, has warned that growing cyberattacks could disrupt port operations, international trade and economic stability across Africa, urging port authorities to strengthen cybersecurity and share intelligence.
Mr Dantsoho, who is also president of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa, PMAWCA, said the increasing adoption of digital technologies and artificial intelligence, AI, in port operations could expose countries to significant economic disruptions if adequate safeguards were not put in place.
He spoke at the African Ports Conference in Casablanca, Morocco, on Tuesday, where he called for common digital standards, stronger regional cooperation and improved cybersecurity measures across African ports.
He said cyberattacks on port infrastructure had moved beyond information technology concerns to become threats capable of interrupting trade, delaying cargo movement and undermining the reliability of maritime supply chains.
Citing incidents involving South Africa’s Transnet, Japan’s Port of Nagoya and DP World terminals in Australia, Mr Dantsoho said attacks on digital infrastructure could paralyse critical operations and disrupt international commerce.
“In July 2021, a cyberattack on Transnet forced South Africa’s container terminals to declare force majeure. In 2023, cyber incidents disrupted the Port of Nagoya and DP World terminals across Australia for days. These were not merely IT problems. They were interruptions to trade,” he said.
The NPA boss said the digital transformation of African ports must be accompanied by measures to protect operational systems, cargo information, revenue collection and data exchange among port stakeholders.
He noted that although AI could improve efficiency and decision-making, cybersecurity remained essential to keeping ports operational during attempts to compromise their systems.
“AI can help a port work more intelligently, but cybersecurity protects its ability to work at all,” he said.
Mr Dantsoho, who is also vice-president of the International Association of Ports and Harbors, IAPH, African region, warned that the growing interconnection of port systems, government agencies, shipping companies, terminal operators and other service providers could create vulnerabilities without adequate safeguards.
He cautioned that digital platforms designed to simplify trade procedures must not become single points of failure capable of disrupting entire port communities.
“A single window must not become a single point of failure,” he said.
Nigeria has advanced its port digitalisation efforts through the National Single Window and a beta version of the Port Community System, initiatives designed to improve coordination among Customs, terminal operators, shipping lines and regulatory agencies.
However, Mr Dantsoho said the success of such platforms would depend on the ability of port authorities and their partners to protect them against cyber threats while ensuring that essential operations could continue during disruptions.
He outlined measures for strengthening cybersecurity at Nigerian ports, including integrating cyber protection into port security arrangements, separating operational technology from administrative networks, enforcing security standards for connected partners, testing recovery systems and training personnel to identify and report threats.
He said cybersecurity should be treated with the same seriousness as physical port security and aligned with relevant International Ship and Port Facility Security, ISPS, requirements and International Maritime Organization, IMO, standards.
“Treat cybersecurity as part of port security, alongside physical security and relevant ISPS and IMO requirements,” he said.
He also urged port authorities to establish clear separation between operational systems and administrative networks to prevent attacks on one system from spreading to critical infrastructure.
According to him, terminal operators, technology providers and other connected partners should be required to comply with agreed cybersecurity standards.
He said ports must maintain tested backups, rehearse recovery procedures and establish alternatives for sustaining operations when digital systems fail.
“A recovery plan is not proven because it exists. It is proven because it works,” he said.
Mr Dantsoho identified human capacity as another critical component of cybersecurity, saying port employees must be trained to recognise suspicious activities, report threats and respond appropriately to security incidents.
He said successful digital transformation depended not only on acquiring technology but also on developing the expertise and institutional discipline needed to operate and protect it.
Beyond cybersecurity, the NPA managing director said AI could help African ports address longstanding operational challenges, including vessel waiting times, cargo delays, inefficient truck movements, revenue leakages and unexpected equipment failures.
He argued that the performance of a smart port should be measured by the benefits it delivers to port users and national economies rather than the volume of technology deployed.
“A smart African port is not defined by how much technology it buys. It is defined by the performance it delivers. How quickly are vessels served? How long does cargo remain? What does it cost to move a container? Are systems reliable, and is revenue properly accounted for?
“These are the measures that give meaning to innovation,” he said.
Dantsoho said AI could improve vessel arrival forecasts, berth planning and pilotage scheduling, reducing uncertainty and waiting times.
He also identified opportunities to integrate truck appointments with yard capacity and vessel schedules, enabling port gates, storage yards and quays to operate as a coordinated system rather than separate points of congestion.
On revenue assurance, he said AI could compare cargo declarations, actual cargo movements and applicable charges to identify discrepancies for investigation without unnecessarily obstructing legitimate trade.
He added that the technology could support targeted cargo-risk assessments, identify unusual vessel behaviour and facilitate predictive maintenance by detecting equipment deterioration before failures disrupted operations.
However, he cautioned port authorities against adopting technology without clearly defined objectives and measurable outcomes.
“But every project needs discipline: a defined problem, a measurable target and an accountable owner.
“Prove the application before expanding it. And bring our people with us—pilots, engineers, crane operators, planners and revenue officers, with unions and operators engaged.
“The objective is not to replace professional judgement, but to strengthen it,” he said.
Highlighting Nigeria’s experience, Dantsoho said the country was laying the foundations for smarter port operations through investments in digital coordination, infrastructure modernisation and traffic management.
He said the NPA oversees seven ports across the country, from Lagos to Calabar, each with different infrastructure, cargo profiles and levels of digital maturity.
These differences, he said, required solutions tailored to the operational realities of individual ports rather than a uniform approach that ignored local requirements.
Mr Dantsoho recalled that cargo previously remained at Lagos ports for as long as three weeks, while the Apapa access road, designed to accommodate about 2,400 trucks daily, carried more than 7,000 trucks.
The congestion increased delays, undermined operational reliability and diverted trade, highlighting the need for coordinated reforms across port infrastructure, transport corridors and digital systems.
He said the NPA began by addressing basic operational challenges before moving towards more advanced technologies.
“The Eto electronic truck call-up system helped address corridor gridlock. This year, we went live with the National Single Window and a beta version of the Port Community System, advancing digital coordination among Customs, terminals, shipping lines and regulators,” he said.
Mr Dantsoho said the reforms were producing encouraging results, citing Nigeria’s performance in the World Bank’s Container Port Performance Index 2025.
According to him, Tin Can Island Port ranked 10th and Apapa Port 12th among the world’s most improved ports in the index released in June 2026.
He added that Nigeria’s cargo throughput increased by 24.8 per cent to 129.3 million metric tonnes in 2025.
Although he acknowledged that the country’s port transformation remained a work in progress, Mr Dantsoho said the experience demonstrated the importance of establishing reliable digital foundations before deploying AI on a wider scale.
“Our work is not complete. But the lesson is clear: digitalisation creates the information base; AI helps turn information into better decisions. We must build in that order,” he said.
The NPA is also implementing a $1 billion modernisation programme for Apapa and Tin Can Island ports, which Mr Dantsoho said offered an opportunity to incorporate intelligent maintenance systems and secure digital infrastructure into the renewal process.
He stressed that cybersecurity should be integrated into infrastructure projects from the design stage rather than introduced after systems had been deployed.
The NPA managing director said African ports could not effectively address cyber threats and operational inefficiencies through isolated national efforts because maritime trade routes, shipping schedules and cargo corridors were interconnected.
He explained that disruptions at one port could affect other ports and inland destinations, particularly along major regional trade corridors.
“Along the Abidjan–Lagos corridor, a delayed vessel can affect its next call. Cargo destined for Niger, Chad or Mali depends on effective links between ports, corridors and borders.
“If we modernise in isolation, we risk replacing paper-based fragmentation with digital fragmentation,” he said.
As PMAWCA president, Dantsoho proposed four priorities for strengthening regional cooperation among member ports.
They include sharing cyber threat intelligence through designated contacts, timely alerts and the exchange of lessons from security incidents; developing common data standards to enable different port platforms to exchange essential information; benchmarking port performance and strengthening professional training; and deepening engagement with technology suppliers and development partners.
He said cooperation with technology suppliers should establish common requirements for cybersecurity, interoperability, skills transfer and data sovereignty.
Mr Dantsoho disclosed that the NPA had developed a port performance benchmarking framework in collaboration with the Port of Antwerp-Bruges and expressed the authority’s readiness to share its experience with other African ports.
He also proposed establishing a PMAWCA working group on AI and data governance, with cybersecurity and digital resilience incorporated into its responsibilities.
He urged each member port to identify one high-impact AI pilot project supported by a baseline assessment, an accountable implementation team and measurable performance targets.
“I invite each member port to identify one high-impact AI pilot, with a baseline, an accountable team and a measurable target. Start with the problem—not the product,” he said.
He said progress on the proposed initiatives should be reported at PMAWCA’s next Annual Council in Sipopo, Malabo, adding that the NPA was prepared to share both its achievements and the challenges encountered in Nigeria’s digital transformation.
Mr Dantsoho further warned that the deployment of AI and interconnected digital platforms required clear rules governing the ownership, access, sharing and protection of port data.
He said port authorities must establish responsibilities for data management under concession agreements and ensure technology contracts promoted interoperability rather than creating unnecessary dependence on individual suppliers.
According to him, African countries must benefit from technological innovation while retaining the ability to determine how their data is accessed, managed and protected.
“Data sovereignty does not mean isolation. It means benefiting from innovation while retaining the capacity to govern its use,” he said.
He added that trust was essential to information sharing among port authorities, regulators, terminal operators and other stakeholders.
“Without trust, institutions will not share information. Without shared information, the smart port remains an incomplete promise,” he said.
Mr Dantsoho said the ultimate objective of port digitalisation across Africa should be to improve operational reliability, reduce trade costs, strengthen security and ensure that technological investments delivered measurable economic benefits.
“The smart African port will not be judged by its dashboards.
“It will be judged by reliable vessel calls, shorter cargo dwell times, lower costs, secure systems and revenue properly accounted for.
“AI should help us anticipate and decide. Cybersecurity should help us protect and endure. Cooperation should help us advance together. Leadership must turn all three into results,” he said.
He urged African port authorities to work collectively towards building facilities that were not only more digital but also more dependable and secure, stressing that the continent’s smart-port future would depend on regional collaboration and the development of local capabilities.
“The smart African port will not be imported. We will build it together,” Mr Dantsoho said.
