Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has announced that construction of the over $7 billion Gateway Deep Sea Port and Ogun State Blue Marine Special Economic Zone in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area will begin in November.
Abiodun made this known while addressing All Progressives Congress stakeholders in Ijebu East and Ijebu North Local Government Areas, days after signing a Memorandum of Understanding with DP World MEA FZE in Paris, France, in the presence of President Bola Tinubu.
The governor said the project’s groundbreaking ceremony would be held in November, after which construction would commence, with the port expected to be substantially completed within two and a half years.
“By November, we will perform the groundbreaking and the construction will start immediately. In two and a half years, that port will almost be completed 100 per cent,” Abiodun said.
He said the project, being developed in partnership with DP World, would help unlock Ogun State’s maritime and economic potential.
According to him, the deep sea port had remained largely unrealised for more than three decades despite its potential, but his administration revived the project as part of efforts to attract investment and accelerate economic development.
“Governance is about vision and implementation,” the governor said, adding that the project would position Ogun as a major maritime destination in Africa.
“Ogun State will become the marine capital of Africa, the marine hub of West Africa, meaning that the biggest ships in the world, when they are coming to Africa, will first come to Ogun Waterside,” he said.
Abiodun thanked President Tinubu for supporting the project, particularly for witnessing the signing of the MoU and assuring investors of the Federal Government’s backing.
He also identified ongoing federal infrastructure projects, including the rehabilitation of the Sagamu-Ijebu-Ode-Ore Road and the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, as developments that would improve connectivity to Ogun East.
The governor also highlighted the mineral and energy resources in the senatorial district, particularly the bitumen deposits in Ijebu East.
“Ijebu East all the way to Ondo State is what we call our Bitumen Belt, the largest deposit of bitumen in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is between Ijebu East, all the way to Ondo State,” he said.
He added that crude oil resources were also present in other parts of the state, including Odogbolu, saying his administration would continue to explore opportunities to harness the state’s natural resources for economic development.