Togolese and Nigerian presidents inaugurate the 2nd phase of Lomé Container Terminal
On Monday 20 March 2023, the President of the Togolese Republic, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, and his Nigerian counterpart, Mohamed Bazoum, on an official visit to Togo, inaugurated the second phase of the Lomé Container Terminal (LCT) at the Port Autonome de Lomé (PAL).
Financed to the tune of 400 million euros, or 260 billion CFA francs, the objective of this investment is to increase the annual cargo handling capacity of the LCT, currently estimated at 2.2 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU), with a view to increasing traffic to 2.5 million containers handled in the long term.
The extension of the LCT will make it possible to meet the future needs for growth in expected volumes, while guaranteeing quality services, overall operational productivity and the fluidity of goods delivery/reception operations. It will thus contribute to the country’s economic growth and sub-regional integration.
This new investment will also strengthen the existing infrastructure in order to make Lomé a leading logistics hub in the sub-region, in line with the vision of the Head of State.
Through a guided tour, Presidents Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé and Mohamed Bazoum were able to discover the new facilities, after a presentation of the assets, opportunities, performances and modernisation programmes of the PAL services, notably those of the LCT.
The Minister of Maritime Economy, Fisheries and Coastal Protection, Kokou Edem Tengue, paid tribute to the two heads of state for their great interest in the development of the blue economy. He particularly welcomed the vision of the President of the Togolese Republic to make his country a leading logistical hub for the development of the sub-region.
The Autonomous Port of Lomé is located on the Lomé-Ouagadougou-Niamey corridor, which makes it a better gateway for goods destined for hinterland countries, particularly Niger, and one of the most popular outlets for these countries to export their products.
The total tonnage transiting through the Port Autonome de Lomé (PAL) to Niger has increased in value and percentage terms in recent years, rising from 6% in 2016 to 10% in 2021. Over the same period, the cumulative imports and exports of total freight to or from Niger passing through Lomé represent 12.21% of the total in 2021, against 5.1% in 2016.
The completion of the extension of Lomé Container Terminal (LCT) is tangible proof of the favourable business environment in Togo.
Built on an area of 5.65 hectares, the second phase of Lomé Container Terminal (LCT) is equipped with additional storage space with a capacity of 1,500 containers and additional handling equipment, namely two ship-to-shore gantry cranes, five hybrid rubber tyre gantry cranes, two forklifts and ten tractors with trailer chassis.
The Lomé Container Terminal (LCT) extension also has a 1,050m linear quay with a depth of almost 17m, to accommodate the latest generation of ships.
