President Bola Tinubu says the proposed Gateway Deep Seaport and Ogun State Blue Marine Special Economic Zone will transform Ogun State’s economy and strengthen Nigeria’s maritime trade, manufacturing and export capacity.
Tinubu spoke in Paris, France, where he witnessed the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) between the Ogun State Government and DP World MEA FZE for the projects.
The developments are expected to attract more than $7 billion in initial investment and create over 50,000 direct jobs when fully developed.
“We are doing more than signing agreements; we are laying the foundation for a new chapter in Nigeria’s development,” Tinubu said.
The Gateway Deep Seaport, planned for Ogun Waterside, will have a 4-kilometre berth and an 18-metre draft, allowing it to accommodate larger vessels and ease pressure on Apapa and Tin Can Island ports.
Tinubu said the port would reduce logistics costs and delays while serving as a gateway to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), providing access to a continental market of about 1.4 billion people.
The proposed 10,000-hectare Blue Marine Special Economic Zone will complement the port by providing an industrial base for manufacturing, processing and export-oriented businesses.
“Within the zone, imported inputs will be transformed into finished goods, Nigerian raw materials will be processed for export and, most importantly, our young men and women will find dignified, productive and sustainable employment,” he said.
“A port moves cargo; a port integrated with a special economic zone helps to build an economy. Each reinforces the other,” Tinubu added.
He identified the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as critical to the corridor, noting that its 28-kilometre Ogun section was scheduled for completion before the end of the year.
Tinubu also linked the development to the proposed Nigerian Navy Operating Base and Dockyard and the OK LNG Project, describing them as part of a wider maritime, energy and gas-export corridor.
The President stressed that the MoUs must translate into actual projects and assured investors of Federal Government support for connectivity, security, regulatory stability and the removal of bureaucratic obstacles.
“Today we make firm commitments; from tomorrow, implementation must gather pace,” he said.
Earlier, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun described the signing as a defining moment for the state, saying the deep seaport had remained largely unrealised for more than three decades.
“It has taken the foresight, courage and dogged leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to move it from aspiration to reality,” Abiodun said.
He said the projects would expand trade, attract investment, strengthen supply chains and create opportunities 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,” he said.
Abiodun said implementation, rather than the signing ceremony, would determine the projects’ success.
“History will judge us not by the elegance of documents signed, but by the transformation that follows. Ceremonies proclaim intentions; only implementation creates prosperity,” he said.
The signing was witnessed by Nigerian Ports Authority Managing Director Abubakar Dantsoho and representatives of DP World, Sky Capital and other partners.
