Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun and DP World MEA FZE have signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) to develop the Gateway Deep Sea Port and the Ogun State Blue Marine Special Economic Zone (SEZ), with the projects projected to attract over $7 billion in initial investment and generate more than 50,000 direct jobs. The agreements, signed in Paris, France, were witnessed by President Bola Tinubu, Minister of Marine and Blue Economy Adegboyega Oyetola, and Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Director-General Abubakar Dantsoho. The deals aim to address infrastructure and logistics challenges while expanding Nigeria’s manufacturing and export capabilities, according to a statement from the governor’s special adviser, Kayode Akinmade.
President Tinubu emphasized that the projects would create an integrated platform for industrial production, maritime commerce, and access to African and global markets. “We are doing more than signing agreements; we are laying the foundation for a new chapter in Nigeria’s development,” he stated. The Gateway Deep Sea Port, planned for Ogun Waterside, will feature a four-kilometre berth and an 18-metre draft, enabling it to handle larger vessels and ease congestion in the Lagos port corridor. It will be linked to the 10,000-hectare Blue Marine SEZ, designed to support manufacturing, processing, and export-oriented industries.
The 28-kilometre Ogun section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway will connect the port to the industrial zone, Lagos, and wider African markets. Tinubu highlighted that the corridor would integrate with strategic investments, including the Nigerian Navy Operating Base, Dockyard, and OK LNG Project, strengthening ties between maritime infrastructure, energy, and trade. The projects, he said, align with the Renewed Hope Agenda’s focus on economic diversification and industrialization, with an initial $7 billion investment expected to generate over 50,000 direct jobs and additional indirect employment.
Governor Abiodun credited President Tinubu for reviving the long-standing vision for Ogun’s deep seaport, which had remained unrealized for over three decades. “It has taken the foresight, courage, and dogged leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to move it from aspiration to reality,” Abiodun said. He praised the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and Ogun’s Building Our Future Together initiative for aligning with the project’s goals. The governor emphasized the SEZ’s potential to stimulate small and medium enterprises (SMEs), strengthen supply chains, and attract foreign direct investment, citing DP World’s Jebel Ali Free Zone as a model for port-integrated economic growth.
Abiodun outlined the project’s broader infrastructure network, including the Gateway International Airport, dry ports, and the coastal highway, to create a multimodal logistics system. “History will judge us not by the elegance of documents signed, but by the transformation that follows,” he said, stressing the importance of implementation over ceremony. He assured partners of Ogun’s commitment to host-community engagement, environmental sustainability, and security, while pledging federal support for regulatory clarity, policy stability, and infrastructure connectivity.
Tinubu reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to holding all parties accountable for delivering investments, projects, and economic opportunities. He highlighted the role of federal institutions, including the NPA, in facilitating the initiative. The agreements, he said, exemplify cooperative federalism, with subnational efforts receiving federal backing. Abiodun noted that the project would deepen trade, improve connectivity, and strengthen Nigeria’s maritime economy, positioning Ogun as a gateway for the nation’s productive capacity to reach Africa and the world.
The signing marks a pivotal moment in Ogun’s coastal development ambitions, reflecting its strategic role in Nigeria’s industrialization and global trade aspirations. With the MoUs now in place, the focus shifts to implementation, as stakeholders aim to translate the agreements into tangible economic transformation and job creation for the region.