By Babajide Okeowo
In a move to back its claim of securing a $600 million investment commitment from A.P Moller-Maersk, a Danish shipping company, The presidency, on Wednesday, released a video to back its claim.
Controversies had emerged when in a statement on April 28, Ajuri Ngelale, special adviser to the president on media and publicity, disclosed that Nigeria secured a $600 million investment commitment from Maersk to expand existing ports infrastructure in the country.
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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 the following day, 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.
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“Maersk has been present in Nigeria for 35 years and, as a global provider of logistics services, we remain committed to develop opportunities for growth to people, the port sector and businesses locally,” the company told Lloyd’s List.
“Therefore, it is natural to have an ongoing dialogue with the administration. However, we are not able to comment on any investment talks.”
However, in the video released by The Presidency, Keith Svendsen, chairman of APM Terminals, had 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.
He also disclosed that the company just spent $100m to upgrade facilities at Onne Port.
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The clip, which captures the meeting between the minister, Svendsen, and other stakeholders, was posted on X on February 9.
“We just finished the upgrading of Onne facility to meet world-class capabilities. So we invested over $100 million there,” Svendsen had 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.”
