AFRICA’S PORT MODERNIZATION DRIVE: PROJECTS PREPARING THE CONTINENT FOR GLOBAL TRADE

Across Africa, a wave of port modernisation is reshaping the continent’s maritime infrastructure and strengthening its integration into global commerce. With projections suggesting African ports could handle over 2 billion tons of cargo annually by 2040, governments and private investors are committing billions to expansions, dredging, automation, and digitalisation. These upgrades aim to fix long-standing operational challenges such as shallow harbours, congestion, and bureaucratic delays while positioning Africa as a competitive logistics hub at the crossroads of major global trade routes. Amid global disruptions, from Suez Canal blockages to slowed seaborne trade growth forecast at 0.5% in 2025, Africa’s port investments are emerging as anchors of resilience, diversification, and job creation.

In West Africa, Nigeria’s Lekki Deep Sea Port stands out as a flagship development. Backed by $1.5 billion in investment, Lekki is now the region’s deepest seaport and can receive ultra-large container vessels that previously bypassed West African waters. Operational since 2023, the port has improved container turnaround times and boosted exports across oil, agricultural goods, and manufacturing. Nearby, Ghana’s Tema Port is approaching the completion of its $1.3 billion Phase 2 expansion, targeted for September 2025. The upgrade increases capacity to 3.7 million TEUs, supported by advanced gantry cranes and integrated logistics systems, cementing Tema’s role as West Africa’s busiest port and easing congestion at facilities such as Lagos.

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Further along the coast, countries like Mauritania, Guinea, Benin, and Senegal are undertaking ambitious projects to reshape regional trade dynamics. Mauritania’s Nouadhibou Port is receiving a $323 million deep-water extension that will enable it to handle 325,000 containers annually by 2035, expanding export capacity for iron ore and fisheries. In Guinea, the Morebaya Port, closely linked to the Simandou iron ore megaproject, features dredged channels and high-capacity terminals designed to ship up to 120 million tons of ore per year beginning in late 2025. Benin’s Cotonou Port upgrade scheduled for completion in 2026 includes berth deepening to ease regional bottlenecks, while Senegal’s $1.1 billion Ndayane Deepwater Port, due in 2027, is set to decongest Dakar and support offshore energy developments through adjacent special economic zones.

East Africa is equally active in expanding its maritime footprint. Kenya’s Lamu Port, part of the $3 billion LAPSSET Corridor, is partially operational and designed to serve Ethiopia and South Sudan through enhanced rail and road connectivity. Meanwhile, Djibouti’s $590 million Doraleh Multipurpose Port continues to serve as a vital logistics hub for landlocked Ethiopia, facilitating textile and agricultural exports despite ongoing Red Sea tensions. These developments complement regional corridors such as the Mombasa–Nairobi route, where new pipelines and highways are improving mineral and fuel transport efficiency.

North Africa hosts some of the continent’s most advanced and globally competitive ports. Morocco’s Tanger Med Port already a global logistics giant handled 10.24 million TEUs in 2024 and remains the Mediterranean’s busiest port. As part of Morocco’s $7.5 billion National Port Strategy 2030, 27 ports from Tangier to Dakhla are undergoing upgrades to strengthen industrial, automotive, and agribusiness export flows. Egypt is accelerating its maritime build-out as well, upgrading 14 existing ports and constructing five new ones, including the Red Sea’s Taba Port and the multi-purpose terminal at Safaga, slated for operation by late 2025. Major expansions inside the Suez Canal Economic Zone aim to cement Egypt’s role as a linchpin of global logistics.

Southern Africa is driving forward with equally transformative projects. South Africa’s $7 billion Durban Port expansion the busiest port by container volume on the continent targets a mega-hub model to improve trade flows across the southern region. Namibia’s Walvis Bay is progressing with a N$60 billion North Port expansion in partnership with the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, adding 1,300 hectares of new infrastructure to serve mining and energy trade routes. Complementary logistics bases and new container terminals are positioning Walvis Bay as a gateway for central African minerals. Regional corridors such as Angola’s Lobito Corridor, benefiting from €550 million in rail upgrades, are further linking ports to inland resource belts.

Africa’s port modernisation wave has the potential to reduce logistics costs by up to 40%, attract sustained investment from China, Europe, and the United States, and elevate the continent’s standing in global trade. As these projects advance, Africa is not only expanding capacity but reshaping its economic future transforming ports from isolated gateways into engines of industrialization and continental connectivity.