Lagos city

The city of Lagos is situated in Nigeria. It is the largest city in the country and also Africa.  Lagos was the initial capital city of the country before the county’s headquarters were moved to Abuja. The state of Lagos is located in the southwestern part of the country with its largest population being made up of the Yoruba. Lagos state is the smallest state in Nigeria. Despite this, Lagos state hosts one of the largest cities in the continent, Lagos city. The population of Lagos stands at over 16 million inhabitants. Lagos city boasts of having one of the fastest growing economies in the world sitting in the 7th position of the world economic growth rankings so far. This state is also home to the highest number of millionaires in the country and the continent despite most of its residents being extremely poor. 60% of the state’s revenue is generated within its boundaries as it is the heart of most business activities in Nigeria. Lagos state boasts of having the highest GDP which accounts for 32% of Nigeria’s GDP and hosting one of the largest and busiest ports in Africa.

Port of Lagos

This is one of the largest ports in Africa manning around 80% of the country’s imports. Lagos port also works with the aviation system present in controlling the import and export needs of the country. This translates to a busy and fully functional port that serves most of West Africa. The Lagos port boasts of a massive daily traffic of around 20,000 TUEs. Its annual storage capacity is 650,000 TUEs. There is also a designated area that is meant for specifically refrigerated containers that hold up to 200 containers in a day. The container yard that is used to store the remaining containers measures a staggering 24ha giving ample space for the storage of containers that arrive in the port on a daily basis. Lagos port complex is also the only port that has the ability to accommodate oversized cargo due to it's large 4 wheeled gate that is about 8 meters giving it an edge over the other ports. Although the number of tones the port receives on a daily basis is not well documented, it would be safe to assume that since the port is one of the busiest in the continent, it most certainly handles the most number of tones you could imagine. The port also has 8 draughts or channels that measure up to 13.5 meters. The Lagos port complex has 7 terminals with 5 terminals being privately owned. The 7 terminals are Terminal A, Terminal B, Terminal C, Terminal D, Terminal E, Lilypond terminal and Container Terminal. The other 5 terminals that are privately owned are operated by Lilypond inland container terminal Ltd, Apapa Bulk Terminal Ltd, ENL Consortium Ltd and Greenview development Nigeria Ltd. Each terminal has its own special feature that distinguishes it from the other. An example is terminal A&B which is operated by Apapa Bulk Terminal Ltd handles only bulky cargo which Terminal C&D which is operated by ENL Consortium Ltd breaks bulk, handles general cargo and also containers so far. Each terminal is therefore specially equipped to handle its own kind of cargos making it easier to decentralize the bulk within the port. The Lagos Port Complex also features an airport that handles all the imports and exports that take place through the Nigerian aviation sector. The main operator for this purpose is SAHCOL (Skyway Aviation Handling Company Limited) here all of the importation and exportation services are taken care of by the company that is aimed at ensuring Nigeria has one of the best aviation exportation and importation systems. It is through the Lagos Port Complex that the city of Lagos has gained a reputable name in the world market ranking it one of the fastest growing economies in the world so far. This not only makes Nigeria the Economy to watch out for in Africa but in the whole world too. Who knows how far this port can grow to strengthen the country’s economy in 20 years to come. I guess we just have to wait and see.