The Ogun State Government and DP World MEA FZE have signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) for the development of the Gateway Deep Sea Port and the Ogun State Blue Marine Special Economic Zone, with the projects projected to attract more than $7 billion in initial investment and create over 50,000 direct jobs.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued by Hon. Kayode Akinmade, Special Adviser to the Ogun State Governor on Information and Strategy, following the signing ceremony witnessed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Paris, France.
The agreements bring together the Federal Government, Ogun State Government, DP World, financial advisers and other private-sector partners in an investment framework designed to address logistics challenges, strengthen trade infrastructure and expand Nigeria’s manufacturing and export capacity.
President Tinubu, who witnessed the signing alongside the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, and the Director-General of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Mohammed Bello-Koko, said the projects would help tackle longstanding infrastructure constraints while creating 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,” Tinubu said.
The Gateway Deep Sea Port, planned for Ogun Waterside, will feature a four-kilometre berth and an 18-metre draft, allowing it to handle larger vessels, decongest the Lagos port corridor and reduce costs and delays for importers and exporters.
The port is expected to be integrated with the proposed 10,000-hectare Blue Marine Special Economic Zone, which will support manufacturing, processing and export-oriented industries.
According to the President, the zone will provide opportunities for imported inputs to be converted into finished products, while Nigerian raw materials can be processed for export, thereby supporting the expansion of the country’s non-oil export base.
“A port moves cargo; a port integrated with a special economic zone helps to build an economy,” he said.
Tinubu said the 28-kilometre Ogun section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway would provide an important connection between the port, industrial zone, Lagos, the Nigerian hinterland and wider African markets.
He added that the emerging corridor would connect with other strategic projects, including the proposed Nigerian Navy Operating Base and Dockyard and the OK LNG Project.
The President said the projects represented an initial investment of more than $7 billion and were expected to generate over 50,000 direct jobs, in addition to indirect employment opportunities.
He described the investment as part of efforts to promote economic diversification and industrialisation under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Tinubu commended Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, for securing the land, structuring the investment framework and reducing project risks for investors.
He also assured investors of regulatory clarity and policy stability, promising federal support for road, rail and power connectivity, investment security and the maritime sector.
Earlier, Abiodun described the signing as a defining moment in the economic history of Ogun State and Nigeria’s engagement with the global economy.
The governor said the deep seaport vision had remained largely unrealised for more than three decades until the current administration at the federal and state levels revived the project.
He commended the President, Oyetola, the NPA and other federal institutions for their support, saying the project demonstrated alignment between the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and Ogun’s Building Our Future Together agenda.
Abiodun said the deep seaport was part of a broader strategy to deepen trade, attract investment, improve connectivity and strengthen Nigeria’s maritime economy.
“Our ambition is not merely to berth ships. We are building a gateway for Ogun and Nigeria’s productive strength to reach Africa and the world,” he said.
The governor added that the project would stimulate small and medium-sized enterprises, strengthen supply chains, expand export capacity and attract foreign direct investment, while creating opportunities across maritime services, logistics, manufacturing and technology.
He also described the Blue Marine Special Economic Zone as a platform for capital, technology, innovation and talent, citing DP World’s Jebel Ali Free Zone as an example of the potential of integrating ports, logistics and special economic zones.
Abiodun said the development would form part of a wider multimodal infrastructure network incorporating the Gateway International Airport, dry ports, the coastal highway and the deep seaport.
“History will judge us not by the elegance of documents signed, but by the transformation that follows. Ceremonies proclaim intentions; only implementation creates prosperity,” the governor said.
He assured DP World and other partners that Ogun was ready for business, partnership and delivery, while stressing the importance of host-community participation, environmental sustainability and security.
