Lekki port employs 1,126 Nigerians in deep seaport project

The promoters of the Lekki deep seaport project, Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise Limited, have revealed that 1,126 local employees have been employed at the port, accounting for 83 percent of the total number of people in the project.

This is even as the firm added that the port, when fully operational, has the capacity to create over 160,000 jobs.

In his welcome remarks during a media visit and tour of the project site held recently, Managing Director, Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise Limited, Mr. Du Ruogang, said the company is targeting an earlier date for commencement of operations at the port.

The project is officially expected to be completed as scheduled with a targeted commercial operations date in Q4 2022.

Ruogang said the construction of the Lekki Deep Seaport has reached almost 50% with the completion of the 1,909m long core of the main breakwater, while work on the quay wall and landside infrastructure has reached advanced stages.
He announced that the company was able to satisfy all the conditions precedent for the disbursement of the loan facility from China Development Bank.

According to him, the company has equally secured the partnership of Lekki Port Free Terminal (CMA CGM) a French company with vast experience worldwide, to run the container terminal when it is operational.

Speaking, he said “We have achieved many milestones on the project including the equity infusion of $221m by China Harbour Engineering Company in its capacity as an investor. Based on this development, China Harbour is now the majority shareholder in Lekki Port with 52.5 percent stake. Also, we were able to satisfy all the conditions precedent for the disbursement of the loan facility from China Development Bank”

“As at today, I am glad to inform you that the project is at almost 50 per cent completion. You will see an overview of the construction progress shortly, but I am pleased to say that the construction has been going smoothly and we are on course with our timelines and in fact we are targeting an earlier date for commencement of operations”

Mr. Du. Ruogang became Managing Director of Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise Limited in March 2020.