$7bn Ogun Deep Sea Port Construction Begins in November — Abiodun

Construction of the over $7 billion Gateway Deep Sea Port and Ogun State Blue Marine Special Economic Zone will begin in November, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun has announced.

Abiodun disclosed this while addressing All Progressives Congress stakeholders in Ijebu East and Ijebu North Local Government Areas of the state.

The governor said the project would begin with a groundbreaking ceremony in November, followed immediately by construction. He added that the port could reach substantial completion within two and a half years.

“By November, we will perform the groundbreaking and the construction will start immediately. In two and a half years, that port will almost be completed 100 per cent,” Abiodun said.

The announcement came days after the Ogun State Government signed a $7 billion agreement with DP World MEA FZE in Paris, France, in the presence of President Bola Tinubu.

Abiodun said the partnership with DP World, a global port operator, would help unlock Ogun State’s maritime potential and attract further investment.

He said successive administrations had pursued the deep-sea port project for more than three decades without bringing it to fruition, adding that his government had revived it as part of efforts to expand the state’s economy.

The governor said the port would strengthen Ogun’s position in the maritime sector and described Ogun Waterside as having the potential to become a major maritime hub in West Africa.

Abiodun also said federal infrastructure projects, including the rehabilitation of the Sagamu-Ijebu-Ode-Ore Road and the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, would improve access to Ogun East and support the port project.

He further identified the bitumen deposits stretching from Ijebu East towards Ondo State as another major economic resource in the area.

Abiodun said his administration would continue to explore investment opportunities around the state’s mineral and energy resources.