ABEOKUTA — Construction of the proposed Gateway Deep Sea Port and Ogun State Blue Marine Special Economic Zone is scheduled to begin in November, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun has announced, advancing a project designed to create a new maritime and industrial gateway for Nigeria outside the Lagos port corridor.
Abiodun said the groundbreaking ceremony for the project would be held in November, immediately followed by construction, with the port expected to be substantially completed within two and a half years.
The announcement comes days after the Ogun State Government and global ports and logistics operator DP World MEA FZE signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) in Paris for the development of the deep-sea port and the 10,000-hectare Blue Marine Special Economic Zone.
The agreements envisage more than $7 billion in initial investment and are projected to generate more than 50,000 direct jobs when fully developed, according to the Nigerian Presidency.
DP World partnership moves project closer to construction
Speaking in Ogun East, Abiodun said the partnership with DP World represented an opportunity to revive a port project that had remained largely unrealised for more than three decades.
“By November, we will perform the groundbreaking and the construction will start immediately. In two and a half years, that port will almost be completed 100 per cent,”
Abiodun said.
The governor said the project would unlock Ogun State’s maritime potential and strengthen its position in regional trade and logistics.
The proposed port is planned for Ogun Waterside and is expected to feature a four-kilometre berth and an 18-metre draft, allowing it to handle larger vessels and provide an alternative gateway to the congested Lagos port corridor.
The Blue Marine Special Economic Zone is expected to integrate maritime infrastructure with industrial, manufacturing and logistics activities, creating a broader commercial ecosystem around the port.
New trade corridor beyond Lagos
The project is being positioned as more than a standalone port development.
The Federal Government said the port and economic zone are intended to address persistent logistics bottlenecks, expand manufacturing and export capacity, and provide access to African and international markets.
President Bola Tinubu, who witnessed the MoU signing in Paris, said the development would support Nigeria’s economic diversification strategy and strengthen the country’s maritime economy.
The Presidency said the proposed economic zone would occupy about 10,000 hectares and could serve as an integrated platform for industrial production, maritime commerce and access to the African Continental Free Trade Area market.
The development is also expected to benefit from wider transport infrastructure planned for the corridor.
According to the Presidency, the 28-kilometre Ogun section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is intended to provide an important connection between the port, the industrial zone, Lagos, the Nigerian hinterland and wider African markets.
The emerging corridor is also expected to connect with other strategic developments, including the proposed Nigerian Navy Operating Base and Dockyard and the OK LNG project.
Potential challenge to Lagos port dominance
The Gateway Deep Sea Port could alter the distribution of cargo and industrial activity along Nigeria’s southwest coast if the project is delivered as planned.
The proposed 18-metre draft would allow the port to accommodate larger vessels, while its location in Ogun Waterside could provide an alternative route for manufacturers and traders operating in Ogun and other parts of the country.
That could reduce reliance on the Lagos port corridor and potentially shorten logistics chains for industries located in Ogun, one of Nigeria’s major manufacturing centres.
The commercial significance will depend, however, on the quality and timing of road, rail, power and other supporting infrastructure around the port.
The Federal Government has pledged support for connectivity, regulatory clarity, investment security and policy stability around the project.
From port project to industrial platform
Abiodun said the development would help transform Ogun’s coastline into a major maritime and industrial hub.
“Ogun State will become the marine capital of Africa, the marine hub of West Africa,” he said.
The proposed Blue Marine Special Economic Zone is expected to broaden the project’s economic impact by linking port operations with manufacturing, logistics, processing and export activities.
The model reflects a growing emphasis in global trade infrastructure on integrating ports with industrial and logistics clusters rather than developing terminals as isolated cargo-handling facilities.
For Ogun, such integration could strengthen the state’s existing industrial base and provide manufacturers with a direct maritime gateway.
Infrastructure and natural resources
Abiodun also pointed to federal infrastructure projects that could strengthen connectivity to Ogun East, including the rehabilitation of the Sagamu-Ijebu-Ode-Ore road and the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
He highlighted the region’s natural-resource potential, particularly the bitumen deposits stretching from Ijebu East towards Ondo State.
The governor also cited crude oil resources in parts of Ogun, including Odogbolu, saying the state would continue to explore opportunities to develop its natural-resource base.
Implementation will determine economic impact
The signing of the MoUs marks an important step in the development of the port, but the scale of the proposed investment means execution will ultimately determine its economic impact.
The Federal Government has described the project as part of a broader effort to reduce trade bottlenecks, improve logistics and increase Nigeria’s capacity to participate in regional and global commerce.
For investors and businesses, the key milestones will now include the November groundbreaking, mobilisation of construction capital, delivery of supporting infrastructure and the integration of the port with the proposed special economic zone.
If the governor meets the construction timetable, Ogun’s long-delayed ambition for a deep-sea maritime gateway will move from planning and investment agreements to physical development.
Based on the latest agreements announced on September 24, 2026, the main organisations involved in developing and delivering the Ogun Gateway Deep Sea Port are:
- DP World — the principal private-sector partner. The Ogun State Government signed MoUs with DP World MEA FZE for development of the Gateway Deep Seaport and the 10,000-hectare Blue Marine Special Economic Zone. The project is expected to attract more than $7 billion in initial investment.
- Ogun State Government — the project sponsor on the state-government side. The state has provided the land and structured the investment framework, according to the Presidency.
- Federal Government of Nigeria — through institutions including the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy. The Federal Government has committed to providing regulatory and institutional support as well as facilitating road, rail and power connectivity.
- SkyKapital — identified by President Tinubu as one of the financial advisers involved in bringing the investment framework to the signing stage.
But an important distinction
It would be premature to say that DP World is the sole construction company that will physically build the entire port.
The documents announced so far are MoUs for development, not a publicly disclosed detailed construction-contract award naming the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors, dredging contractors, civil works companies, terminal-equipment suppliers and other subcontractors.
The Presidency describes the agreements as bringing together “vision, expertise, capital and execution capacity”, but it does not identify the individual construction/EPC companies that will execute the physical works.
The proposed port itself is planned with a four-kilometre berth and 18-metre draft, while the associated Blue Marine Special Economic Zone will cover about 10,000 hectares.
Also important: the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is not the company building the port. It is a complementary Federal Government infrastructure project intended to provide road connectivity to the port and economic zone. The Presidency says the 28-kilometre Ogun section is central to the commercial viability of the corridor.
So, for a Business Standards story, I would describe the structure as:
Ogun State Government + DP World as the core development partnership, backed by the Federal Government and NPA, with SkyKapital as financial adviser; the specific EPC and construction contractors have not yet been publicly identified.
That distinction is important because Governor Abiodun has said construction is expected to start in November 2026, but the public announcement so far does not name the companies that will physically execute the construction.