Senegal’s ongoing construction of the Ndayane Port which is set to become West Africa’s largest deep-sea port, completion is expected 2027.
With gas production from Grande Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) in Senegal and Mauritania slated for Q3 2024 and first oil from Sangomar in Senegal for Q2 2024, MSGBC nations are enhancing infrastructure to accommodate increased exports. Guinea-Bissau initiated port modernization at Bissau Port in July 2023 to boost trade volume and improve service efficiency.
According to President of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, the project to modernize the Port of Bissau will be the largest harbor project ever undertaken in the country. The project includes extending the docks, dredging the port, enhancing the maneuvering basin and access channel, implementing maritime signaling, and acquiring modern equipment for port operations. The project will increase port traffic from 27,000 to 60,000 TEUs and container storage capacity from 5,000 to 72,000 TEUs.
The Port of Bissau underwent major works in 2010 to cope with the increased bauxite mining activity in neighboring Guinea Conakry. However, the current port has gradually proven insufficient to handle the numbers of ships and their respective signals. Originally designed to handle 5,000 containers a year, it now serves nearly five times as many. As a result of its overstretched capacity, the operation costs are high.
President Embaló also emphasized that deepening the navigation channel and maneuvering basin will drive port development, as it will become accessible to larger ships, “a crucial factor for national operators to reduce their logistical costs and strengthen their competitive positions in international markets.”
The project has drawn the interest of international actors like Turkey, whose Ministry of Transport and Communications is actively backing the improvement of Guinea-Bissau’s port and maritime infrastructure, with a focus on equipment, infrastructure and dredging. The Port of Bissau has been singled out as a priority for cooperation between the two nations, given Turkey’s expertise in the maritime sector. Technicians from Turkey’s Ministry of Transport and Communications are currently conducting a survey and feasibility study for the modernization project at the Bissau Port.
This project also showcases sub-regional cooperation at work. Co-financed by the West African Development Bank, the Bank of West Africa and the Guinea-Bissau Ports Administration, the total project cost is estimated at €35 million. President Embolo stressed, “It is through this dynamic South-South cooperation that we are able to initiate such crucial development projects for our country.”
With hydrocarbon development, these efforts are poised to boost trade and foster closer economic ties among MSGBC nations in the years to come.