The Impact of Public-Private Partnerships on the Performance of Nigerian Seaports: a Case Study of Apapa Port Complex, Lagos

Abstract

Maritime activities are essential for national and international trade and undoubtedly becoming the life wire of developed, emerging, and developing economies. Generally, ports across the globe, in both developed and developing economies, are either publicly owned and operated or privately owned and operated.  In some instances, ownership and operation are hybrid arrangements – publicly owned and privately operated. The reform model chosen by the Nigerian Government was the Landlord port system, where the Government, through its agency. The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) retains the ownership of infrastructure, and contracts out the management and operations of the facilities to the private sector with investment obligations on a competitive basis for a period ranging from 10-25 years. The longer the tenor, the high the investment obligations on the part of the private terminal operator. The Nigerian ports are structured into western and eastern ports under the supervision of a Governing Board. This empirical study examines the impact of concession on three significant indices of port management and operations, namely: average berth occupancy, average turnaround time, and security of cargo in the Apapa Port Complex. Attention has been drawn to how the reform has improved the efficiency of ports services in Nigeria. The recommendations capable of assisting in the actualization of the aims and objectives of the reform exercise. In this study, primary data obtained by survey technique were used.