Togo, a tiny West African country, has overtaken Nigeria in container liner shipping

A report by Dynamar says Togo has overtaken Nigeria in container liner shipping.
The growth in Togo's shipping services was contributed by its MSC and Lomé Container Terminal, evidencing the increased impact of carriers on local facilities.
According to the report, Container liner shipping services has improved in recent years in West Africa, growing at around the same absolute rate as the global average.

Togo, a tiny West African French country has overtaken Nigeria in container liner shipping services in the region, according to a report by Dynamar, a maritime consulting firm.

In it's West Africa Container Trades (2018) report, Dynamar said Togo became the first country to surpass the container liner shipping global average in 2016. The growth in Togo's shipping services was contributed by its MSC and Lomé Container Terminal, evidencing the increased impact of carriers on local facilities.

According to the report, while Togo moved up, West Africa’s leading economic power Nigeria has moved down. Nigeria is now ranked the fifth in West Africa in terms of liner connectivity having ranked highest in 2015.

Lomé Container Terminal (China Merchant Holdings) Lomé Container Terminal (China Merchant Holdings) China Merchant Holdings

It added that Nigeria's busiest port, Apapa Port in Lagos (1 million TEUs) lost 30% of its container traffic over five years due to chronic congestion and the poor quality of its services.

West Africa's container liner shipping improves

West Africa, once known for a poor connection to the world through container liner shipping services has improved in recent years, according to the report, growing at around the same absolute rate as the global average.

West Africa comprises twenty-five different countries, big and small, onshore and offshore, including 5 landlocked countries.

Overview of Tin-Can port, Lagos (TheCable) Overview of Tin-Can port, Lagos (TheCable) TheCable.ng

In a similar report by THISDAY, Adedayo Balogun, a maritime expert and Chief Operating Officer, Ecomarine Terminals Limited, said Nigeria has been doing less to show how it intends to lead the maritime sector in We Africa.

"Nigeria is almost two-thirds of the West-African population and by extension two-third of the subregions market, yet it can't boast of a hub port in West and Central Africa," he said.