Atiemoria C. Ebhodaghe is the Lead Strategic Consultant of Acepontis Limited and a Doctoral Researcher at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge. A maritime logistics strategist with over a decade of industry experience, he specializes in bridging the gap between port operations, strategic governance, and economic development to drive sustainable growth in the energy sector.
In this interview, he speaks on the critical role of marine logistics in advancing Nigeria’s energy sector and explains why indigenous maritime firms must move beyond simply owning vessels and embrace digital innovation, predictive maintenance, data- driven logistics and stronger governance structures to compete effectively with their foreign counterparts. He also examines the reforms needed to unlock the maritime sector’s full potential, attract greater private-sector investment, strenghten indigenous capacity and support the federal government’s $1 trillion GDP target by 2030 among others.
Excerpts:
The theme of the 2026 NOG Energy Week was, “Advancing Energy Ambitions for Competitive & Resilient Economies,” to what extent would you say the maritime sector has helped in advancing Nigeria energy sector vis-a-vis the economy?
The maritime sector is an umbrella term that includes shipping and logistics, port operations, offshore energy, and more. While Nigeria is mainly known as an Oil and Gas nation, we often forget that at the core of Oil and Gas lies the maritime industry, and within that sector, marine logistics is unsung hero of our energy goals. In the upstream sector, it is not just about providing support; marine logistics is a vital part of the entire E&P activities. If we don’t have reliable marine logistics—such as the prompt chartering and deployment of tugboats, platform supply vessels, and crewboats—upstream production can come to a standstill. Yet there’s a disconnect: while the maritime sector is the crucial “link” to our offshore energy resources, its overall impact on the economy is currently held back by high transaction costs and operational challenges. We have made strides in our energy ambitions, but our resilience is still a work in progress.
As a stakeholder, how prepared are Indigenous firms in terms of competency in value delivery to compete with foreign operators in the maritime sector?
When it comes to how ready indigenous firms are to compete with foreign operators, we have seen some impressive progress. Some of our indigenous firms have really stepped up their technical game, especially in areas like crewing and mid-level vessel operations. We have evolved from providing basic services to tackling increasingly complex technical challenges, as evidenced by the significant tonnage handled by EA Temile, Tamrose, and a couple of others.
However, there is still a gap in delivering integrated value—the ability to combine logistics, maintenance, and digital data management into a single, risk-managed service. Foreign operators often have the upper hand, not because their ships are overwhelmingly better, but because they have robust governance structures that manage risk effectively.
For indigenous firms to truly compete, they need to shift their focus. Currently, many are obsessed with owning the hardware—the vessels themselves. But I often tell my peers that the industry is undergoing a paradigm shift: it is time to transition from merely owning the hardware to mastering the “software” of maritime logistics. This means moving away from the old “run-to-fail” maintenance approach and embracing predictive, IoT-driven models and adopting advanced digital tools to track assets and optimise fuel use. To be a strategic partner rather than just an asset provider, we must prioritise that “software”—the data, the digital strategy, and the management systems—as much as the vessels themselves.
Funding was a major issue in terms of scaling up operation, what is the current situation?
Funding has been and remains the biggest obstacle to scaling up indigenous maritime logistics. Right now, we are facing a disconnect between the long-term capital demands of offshore operations and the short-term, high-interest nature of local credit options. Most indigenous firms are increasingly relying on costly spot-market opportunities just to stay afloat, making it nearly impossible to invest in long-term upgrades or new acquisitions. While I will commend NIMASA for finally getting round to disbursing the CVFF alongside the ongoing support from NEXIM Bank and the NCDMB, I think we must recognise that the solution isn’t simply “more money”— what we need is de-risked financing. We require structured financial instruments that are specifically calibrated to the unique cash-flow cycles of marine logistics contracts. I am a strong proponent of asset-pooling and collaborative infrastructure models. If indigenous companies can come together to share the financial burden of adopting capital-intensive technologies or assets, we can ultimately ease the liquidity pressure on individual firms while fostering a more resilient, scalable local maritime sector.
The government seems to have a lot of hope in the maritime economy in achieving the $1trn GDP target by 2030, how realistic is the goal and what needs to be done to achieve it?
While it’s an ambitious target, it can be achieved if we view the maritime economy as a cohesive digital corridor rather than a patchwork of separate ports and waterways. To hit that $1 trillion mark, we need a complete transformation of our logistics system. Here are some things we need to do:
1. On the Ports, digitalise the entire corridor: This means not just focusing on individual terminals but streamlining the whole process from when a vessel arrives to when it reaches the inland clearance depot and when the containers leave the terminal .We need to replace outdated, manual customs and security processes with automated, AI-enabled logistics tracking. We also need to tackle the “Links vs Nodes” dilemma: We are doing a good job of optimising the ports (the nodes) through initiatives such as the National Single Window and the Lekki Deep Sea Project, but the roads and administrative routes (the links) remain bottlenecks.
2. Data Aggregation: To manage a $1 trillion maritime economy, we need a national, aggregated data pool. It is time to move away from isolated data silos and create a unified maritime intelligence platform. Government entities like the NCDMB, NIWA, and NIMASA, need to actively encourage digital compliance and technological upgrades for local fleets. We need to focus on building capacity not just by acquiring more vessels, but by outfitting them with modern operational software. Additionally, the vessel chartering process is still heavily dependent on opaque, paper-based brokering. We need to move towards digital, AI-enabled chartering platforms that can transparently match vessel specifications, availability, and regulatory compliance with the specific offshore needs. I recall that the NCDMB, through its Shipping and Logistics sectoral working group, was working on a project called MAVIS to address exactly this. I certainly hope that project sees the light of day, as it is exactly the type of technological leap the sector needs
3- Human capacity: We must invest heavily in training and retraining our seafarers, onshore support personnel and other relevant critical personnel in the maritime industry to confidently handle the advanced systems required to operate and support the infrastructure upon which such a $1 trillion GDP can be built and sustained.
Some stakeholders think the active participation of private security operators in the energy and maritime sector is undermining the competence of the nation’s security architecture, what is your view?
Well, I believe the presence of private security operators in the maritime and energy sectors is a necessary response to existing institutional gaps. Nigeria is in an active state of war with terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers. This situation, which appears to be stretching public security resources too thin or lacking the quick-response tech needed to safeguard offshore assets, is part of why the private sector often had to step in to fill that void and ensure operations continue smoothly. Instead of pushing to eliminate private operators, we should focus on regulatory synchronisation. The aim should be to create a hybrid model in which private operators—who have specialised, localised knowledge—are formally integrated into a collaborative oversight framework with national security agencies. For example, the Nigerian Navy has an understanding with private maritime security companies that gives the Navy the right to use their security escort vessels when the need arises. So this hybrid model is not about undermining the state; It is about ensuring operational continuity of critical national assets, the lifeblood of our economy.
How viable is the Nigerian maritime sector and what can be done to improve private sector participation?
The Nigerian maritime sector stands out as one of the most promising in Africa, thanks to our significant volume of imports, exports, and offshore oil activities. The potential here is enormous, and the odds of making a profit from investing in the sector far outweigh the odds of losing. The real issue isn’t about viability; it’s about the transactional friction we face. To boost private-sector involvement, we need to shift our mindset from a “regulator-first” economy to one that prioritises enabling growth. This means we should standardise contract terms, uphold international maritime agreements, and eliminate the so-called “Nigerian Premium”—that extra burden of cost, time, and uncertainty that complicates business operations here. If we can create a more predictable regulatory environment, private companies will be more inclined to engage. By replacing uncertainty with transparent, data-driven digital systems, we can attract private investment and foster growth in the sector.
Any new findings from your research works, as it concerns the Nigerian maritime industry? If any, can you share with us?
I have been delving into the Nigerian maritime industry as part of my PhD research at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, and am currently focusing on the intriguing concept of “Strategic Bypassing” in how our ports operate. One of my discoveries is what I call the “Governance Paradox.” This refers to the clash between ambitious high-level policies and the sluggishness of on-the-ground operations. This paradox appears to be a major driver of private concessioning in the industry. My preliminary findings suggest that the most effective maritime players in Nigeria’s port ecosystem are those that have created “ring-fenced” digital and operational spaces, enabling them to navigate the often chaotic public regulatory framework. However, there is a catch: while this approach can help individual companies survive, it does not translate well at the national level. My research indicates that for Nigeria to reach a $1 trillion GDP, we must move beyond these isolated ‘islands of efficiency’ and integrate the entire logistics corridor into a single, cohesive digital infrastructure.
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