The presidency has released a video to back its claim about securing a $600 million investment commitment from A.P. Moller-Maersk, a Danish shipping company.
In the video, Keith Svendsen, chairman of APM Terminals, told Doris Uzoka-Anite, the minister of industry, trade, and investment, that the company and other partners would invest half a billion dollars ($500 million) in the ports in Apapa.
APM Terminals is a subsidiary of Maersk that manages container terminals and provides integrated cargo and inland services.
The clip, which captures the meeting between the minister, Svendsen, and other stakeholders, was posted on X on February 9.
“We just finished upgrading the Onne facility to meet world-class capabilities. So we invested over $100 million there,” Svendsen said at the meeting.
“Our proposal is to upgrade the Apapa port facility with our partners there and invest half a billion ($500 million) in upgrading the facilities.”
In a statement on April 28, Ajuri Ngelale, special adviser to the president on media and publicity, said Nigeria secured a $600 million investment commitment from Maersk to expand existing port infrastructure in the country.
Ngelale had said Robert Uggla, chairman of A.P. Moller-Maersk, made the investment commitment during a meeting with President Bola Tinubu on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Saudi Arabia.
However, in a report by Lloyd’s List on April 29, officials of the logistics firm said no $600 million investment deal was signed with the Nigerian government.
The officials of the company, according to the publication, said such a deal does not exist. “Maersk has been present in Nigeria for 35 years, and, as a global provider of logistics services, we remain committed to developing opportunities for growth for people, the port sector, and businesses locally.
“Therefore, it is natural to have an ongoing dialogue with the administration. However, we are not able to comment on any investment talks, ,” the company told Lloyd’s List.
Reacting to the development on May 1, Bayo Onanuga, special adviser on information and strategy to the president, also said no agreement was signed between the federal government and Maersk.
Citing Maersk’s statement, Onanuga said the company was unable to comment on investment talks, stressing that it did not also expressly deny that there was an investment discussion.
