BUA Group is investing approximately $85 million to expand its BUA Ports and Terminals facility in Port Harcourt, an upgrade expected to process more than two million tonnes of imported raw materials each year. The project will add roughly 600 metres of quay frontage, significantly boosting cargo-handling capacity.
Investment Details Revealed During NPA Visit
Abdul Samad Rabiu, chairman of BUA Group, disclosed the investment during a visit to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) headquarters in Lagos, where he met with managing director Dr Abubakar Dantsoho. Rabiu said the visit was to thank the NPA for its support and to update management on the project's progress.
"We've gone very far, and we thought it's important for us to come brief the management and also ask for additional support, and I'm happy that the MD and his team have promised that they'll continue to give us all the necessary support," Rabiu said in a statement seen by Legit.ng on Thursday, July 30.
Expansion Driven by BUA Foods Growth
The push to expand is driven by rapid growth at BUA Foods, which operates out of Port Harcourt. Once the expansion is complete, the company expects to import over two million tonnes of raw materials annually, demanding dedicated port infrastructure. Rabiu noted that BUA's earlier acquisition rights to the terminal had once been revoked, but the current NPA leadership helped get the project back on track.
"I remember that at a point even that terminal acquisition was revoked, but look at us, we are now here, and we're getting all the support that we need from the management," he said. Rabiu also argued that Nigeria's status as Africa's largest economy is not matched by its port infrastructure, calling the gap a barrier to full economic potential.
NPA Projects Double-Digit Cargo Growth
Dr Abubakar Dantsoho welcomed the investment as a boost to Nigeria's eastern ports, stating that increased cargo volumes would translate into higher revenue. "Once you have volumes, then you have more value, then more dollars and more naira will come. And that is what is required," he said.
The NPA managing director estimated that the development could push cargo throughput growth to between 13 and 14 per cent, a strong outcome against a global industry benchmark of around 16 per cent. Dantsoho also pointed to recent international recognition, noting that Apapa and Tin Can ports were listed among the 20 most improved ports globally by S&P and the World Bank within the last two months, crediting closer collaboration between the authority and private investors.
Broader Impact on Food Security
Previously, BUA Group chairman Abdul Samad Rabiu said the company's ongoing investments across Nigeria's food value chain are designed to increase production, reduce food prices, and improve national food security. He made the disclosure after a meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on July 15, 2026.
