Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho bags Presidential Excellence Award for port modernization and global competitiveness
By Patrick Ogboru
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho was on Sunday December 7, 2025 decorated with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Award of ‘Excellence in Maritime Infrastructure Modernisation and Global Port Competitiveness’.
The event was the flagship Nigeria Excellence Awards in Public Service (NEAPS), which held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The prestigious NEAPS Award, which is a presidential initiative coordinated by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), publicly recognises and decorates public servants, who have demonstrated excellence in the discharge of their duties.
Dr. Dantsoho was recognised amongst other sterling performance scorecard for deepening of efficiencies that catalysed the attainment of national trade surplus through unprecedented growth in exports. The reforms introduced by the Abubakar Dantsoho-led management of the NPA, also set the pace for the National Single Window (NSW) through the Port Community System (PCS) being at the forefront of galvanising the global investors’ interest in the modernisation of Nigeria’s seaports’ infrastructure and equipment.
The Presidential Award was also in recognition of the growing influence of Nigeria in the comity of maritime nations evidenced by Nigeria’s election to the presidency of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA).
The NPA boss, Dantsoho was also recently elected Vice President of the International Association for Ports and Harbours (IAPH), and the supportive role under the guidance of the Hon. Minister of Marine and Blue Economy Adegboyega Oyetola for Nigeria’s reelection into the Influential “Category C” of the Council of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), among several other global recognitions.
While reacting to the Award, Dr. Dantsoho noted that he was actually humbled by the Presidential recognition, which he said serves as a springboard for him to do even more.
“The NPA management under my watch is more that committed in our resolve to completely transform our port systems and infrastructure to make them efficient and globally competitive”, the Managing Director, Dantsoho assured.
