Nigerian stevedores eye Green Climate Fund to upgrade ageing port equipment

…as IMO emissions deadlines close in

Nigeria’s stevedores, who oversee the loading and offloading of cargo at the nation’s busiest ports, are pushing for access to proper financing with sights set on the Green Climate Fund (GCF) pipeline that could deliver an overhaul of ageing, emissions-heavy port equipment.

Bolaji Sunmola,  president of the National Association of Stevedoring Operators (NASO), speaking at the 2026 Shipping Correspondents Association of Nigeria (SCAN) Dockworkers Day in Apapa, Lagos this week, called on the Federal Government and the Nigerian Ports Authority to develop an industry-wide equipment upgrade roadmap “calibrated to what Nigerian stevedoring operators can realistically achieve” and supported by the GCF financing framework which it says the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) is now tapping.

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is the world’s largest climate fund, established by 194 governments to help developing countries limit greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change.

The ask has urgency behind it. The International Maritime Organisation has mandated a minimum 20 percent reduction in shipping emissions by 2030 and net-zero by 2050, deadlines Sunmola described as “operational imperatives with real-world consequences for market access, trade competitiveness, and cargo routing decisions” affecting every Nigerian port terminal and dockworker.

Port cargo handling equipment including cranes, forklifts, and terminal tractors represents a material share of port emissions, yet upgrading that fleet requires capital that many of Nigeria’s small and mid-size stevedoring operators do not have on their balance sheets.

“Green practices must not become an unfunded mandate imposed on operators who lack the capital to comply. That would be neither fair nor effective,” Sunmola, who is also the president of the Nigeria Ports Consultative Council (NPCC), said.

Adewale Adeyanju, former president-general of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), also pointed out the need for a “just transition”, arguing that environmental sustainability should not come at the expense of workers’ livelihoods.

Read also: Maritime workers flag missing tally clerks, vessel attacks at Nigeria’s ports

“The transition to greener ports must not become an excuse for job losses, poor working conditions, or the exclusion of workers from decision—making processes,” he said, presenting that investment in training, job protection, safer workplaces and social dialogue would be essential as ports adopt new technologies.

Aminu Umar, president of the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping, noted that the “dockworker of the future” will require expertise in environmental management, digital systems, equipment electrification, sustainability reporting, data management, and smart logistics technologies.

The Federal Government used the opportunity to warn employers of dock labour against neglecting the welfare and safety of workers, saying operators that fail to prioritise the wellbeing of dockworkers will not be tolerated as Nigeria pursues greener and more sustainable port operations.

Adegboyega Oyetola, the minister of marine and blue economy, who was represented by Abubakar Dantsoho, the managing director of the NPA, said the welfare, safety and dignity of dockworkers remain a priority for the government. He added that employers must comply with labour regulations, provide safe working environments, support skills development and uphold the rights of workers.

“The era when workers could be treated as expendable assets has no place in our maritime industry,” the minister said.

The carbon that is never emitted is the greenest of all

Stakeholders also made the case that reducing congestion across Nigeria’s ports and logistics corridors may be one of the country’s most effective tools for cutting emissions and advancing greener port operations.

“The single most powerful green port initiative available to Nigeria today requires no imported technology and no capital that we do not already possess. It requires operational efficiency,” NASO presented.

“When stevedores discharge and deliver cargo faster-when dwell times fall, when vessels wait less at anchorage, when trucks do not idle for days at the port gate the environmental benefit is automatic, measurable, and immediate. The carbon that is never emitted is the greenest of all.” Sunmola added.

The union cited digitalisation for regulators including through the Eto Electronic Call-Up System, the National Single Window, and the Port Community System. “These are both commercial and environmental tools. And it is the dockworkers, stevedores, and terminal operatives the men and women we celebrate today who give these tools their real-world effect.”

During the event, Jama Onwubuariri, managing director at Trucks Transit Parks Limited, the company contracted to run the Eto Call up system equally connected delays to dirtiness.

Read also: TTP spends N4bn on Eto gridlock management system at Apapa and TinCan ports

“Fewer idling trucks mean less wasted fuel, lower emissions, and safer, cleaner working conditions for the dock workers we celebrate today. When the system works, everyone breathes easier. Literally,” said Nancy Nnamdi, general manager corporate and strategic communications who reperesented the managing director.