BUA Group is set to boost its raw material imports to two million tonnes annually through an $85 million expansion of its port facilities, a move aimed at strengthening production capacity and improving supply chain efficiency.

Founder and Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu

• NPA expects double-digit cargo, revenue growth from BUA Port Investment – Dantsoho

BUA Group has said it is investing about $85 million in the expansion of its BUA Ports and Terminals facility in Port Harcourt as it prepares to handle more than two million tonnes of imported raw materials annually for its growing food business.

The Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, disclosed this during a visit to the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, in Lagos, where he said the company came to appreciate the support it has received and brief the authority on the progress of the project.

According to him, the expansion has advanced significantly and is critical to supporting the rapid growth of BUA Foods in Port Harcourt.

“We are here to, first of all, thank the MD and his team for the support we are getting, and also to brief NPA and the management on the progress we are making as regards the expansion of our BUA Ports and Terminals in Port Harcourt,” Rabiu said.

He added: “We have gone very far, and we thought it is important for us to come brief the management and also ask for additional support. And I am happy that the MD and his team have promised that they will continue to give us all the necessary support.”

Rabiu explained that BUA Foods is undergoing a major expansion programme and that efficient port infrastructure is 

essential to sustaining its operations.

“As you know, BUA Foods is operating in Port Harcourt, and BUA Foods is expanding, and by the time we are done with the expansion, next year, we will be having almost over two million tonnes of products being imported as raw materials to Port Harcourt, and for that we need a terminal, we need a facility,” he stated.

On the scale of the maritime investment, Rabiu clarified that the port expansion alone is valued at about $85 million.

“The ports expansion is about $85 million in total, and that is going to give us about 600 metres of seaside,” he said.

The BUA chairman noted that the expanded terminal would strengthen the company’s logistics backbone as it grows across food, cement, mining, infrastructure and other industrial segments.

He stressed that Nigeria’s economic potential can only be fully realised with improved port infrastructure, saying the country still lags behind major economies in that area.

Rabiu commended the NPA management for what he described as its competence and dedication, while also thanking President Bola Tinubu for the appointment of the current leadership.

Reflecting on the history of the Port Harcourt terminal, Rabiu revealed that the facility had once faced the threat of losing its acquisition rights, but said the current support from the NPA had enabled the project to move forward successfully.

Also speaking, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, has projected double-digit growth in cargo throughput and revenue from the $85 million expansion of its port and terminal facilities in Port Harcourt.

The NPA boss described the investment as a major boost to trade and the development of Nigeria’s eastern ports.

Dantsoho said the investment would increase cargo volumes, generate more revenue for the country and strengthen the competitiveness of Nigerian ports.

According to him, the Authority is committed to collaborating with investors to improve port efficiency and unlock greater economic 

value.

On the expected impact of the project, the NPA boss said the investment would deliver significant growth in cargo traffic and earnings.

Providing an estimate of the expected increase in port activity, Dantsoho added: “On a normal day, 16 per cent is expected anywhere in the world in the port industry. So with this kind of development, I am sure we can get like 13-14 per cent, which is a very fantastic thing to happen.”

He noted that Nigeria’s ports have recently recorded significant improvements in global rankings.