DP World and Ogun State sign an MoU for a new Nigeria deep-sea port

DP World is taking its Jebel Ali model to Nigeria: The Dubai-based operator and Ogun State signed an MoU to build the Gateway Deep Sea Port alongside Blue Marine, a 10k-hectare industrial zone, with the two pegged at more than USD 7 bn in initial investment. The port's 4 km berth and 18-meter draft can take ships too big for the congested Lagos corridor next door, the State House says.

Why it matters: The industrial land is what sets this apart from another port agreement. Blue Marine is meant for manufacturers and export businesses, so goods can be made right where they ship. Ogun says openly that it wants its own Jebel Ali, with deepwater access and industrial land built at the same time, Al Bayan reports.

The road that ties it together already has UAE money behind it: The 28 km Ogun stretch of the 700 km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway will link the port and zone to Lagos, the hinterland, and the wider region, alongside a planned airport and dry ports. First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) and Afreximbank closed a USD 1.1 bn facility earlier this year for the highway (USD 626 mn from FAB and USD 500 mn from Afreximbank) to serve the existing Lekki Deep Sea Port. If Gateway gets built, the same corridor will feed both ports.

Ogun has watched a big project slip away before, so delivery is the test. A port and refinery project earmarked for the state was held up for c. 3.5 years before it went to Lagos instead, Dangote Group President Aliko Dangote told Business Insider Africa.

Nigeria is the latest stop in DP World’s Africa push: The company said in 2024 it planned to put nearly USD 3 bn into African port infrastructure over three to five years. Since then, it has moved ahead with a 222-hectare industrial park near Mombasa and continued expanding its Dar es Salaam terminal.