World Bank has ranked Nigeria’s Apapa Port and Tin Can Island Port among the world’s top 20 most improved container ports over the past five years, highlighting significant gains in operational efficiency and vessel turnaround times.
In its 2025 Container Port Performance Index (CPPI), the World Bank listed the Tin Can Island Port Complex and Lagos Port Complex (Apapa) among the Top 20 Port Improvements globally.
The recognition comes amid the Nigerian Ports Authority’s (NPA) efforts to support trade facilitation and sustain Nigeria’s trade surplus. The country recently recorded a trade surplus of N7.54 trillion in the first quarter of 2026, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The report, jointly compiled by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence, ranked Tin Can Island Port 10th globally among ports that achieved the highest improvements between 2020 and 2025, while Lagos Port placed 12th.
The sixth edition of the CPPI assesses container port performance using global benchmarks, focusing on vessel turnaround time and operational efficiency.
According to the report, “The Container Port Performance Index provides a consistent, data-driven measure of global port efficiency by focusing on vessel time in port. It enables comparisons across ports and over time, helping identify where performance is improving and where challenges remain.”
Data contained in the report showed that Tin Can Island Port improved its CPPI score by 42 points, moving from -68 in 2020 to -26 in 2025. Lagos Port also posted a significant improvement, rising by 35 points from -61 in 2020 to -26 in 2025.
The performance places Nigeria among a select group of countries that have made notable progress in improving vessel turnaround times, cargo handling operations and overall port efficiency over the past five years.
Nigeria’s ports also outperformed several major international ports in the improvement rankings, including France’s Marseille Port, which recorded a 39-point improvement to rank 11th; Türkiye’s Iskenderun Port, which placed 13th with a 34-point increase; and India’s Jawaharlal Nehru Port, which ranked 14th with a 32-point gain.
Other ports on the list included Peru’s Paita Port in 15th position with a 32-point improvement, while China’s Keelung and Fuzhou ports occupied the 16th and 17th spots respectively, each recording a 27-point increase.
The latest ranking underscores the progress made by Nigeria’s maritime sector in enhancing port operations, improving efficiency and strengthening the country’s position in global trade and logistics.
