The World Bank has ranked Nigeria’s Lagos Port Complex in Apapa and Tin Can Island Port among the world’s top 20 most improved container ports over the past five years.
In its Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) 2025, the World Bank, in collaboration with S&P Global Market Intelligence, placed both terminals in the category of top global improvers based on operational efficiency and vessel turnaround time.
The report showed that Tin Can Island Port ranked 10th globally, while Lagos Port Complex placed 12th among ports that recorded the most significant performance gains between 2020 and 2025.
According to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the recognition reflects ongoing improvements in port operations and Nigeria’s role in sustaining a national trade surplus, following successive year-on-year gains since 2024. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recently reported a trade surplus of ₦7.54 trillion in the first quarter of 2026.
The CPPI, now in its sixth edition, measures container port performance using data on vessel turnaround time and overall operational efficiency, providing a global benchmark for comparing ports over time.
Data from the report showed that Tin Can Island Port improved its CPPI score by 42 points, rising from -68 in 2020 to -26 in 2025. Lagos Port Complex also recorded a 35-point improvement, moving from -61 to -26 over the same period.
The World Bank noted that Nigeria’s performance places it among a select group of countries that have made substantial progress in reducing vessel dwell time and improving cargo handling efficiency.
Nigeria outperformed several major global ports in the improvement rankings, including France’s Marseille Port, Türkiye’s Iskenderun Port, India’s Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Peru’s Paita Port, and China’s Keelung and Fuzhou ports, which also featured among the top improvers.
