Port of Abidjan registers an increase in cargo volumes, following in the footsteps of Morocco’s Tanger Med and of Kenya’s Mombasa, Kisumu and Lamu ports.
By Blue Africa News
The Port of Abidjan continues to position itself as arguably one of the busiest ports in West Africa, registering a considerable increase in cargo volumes handled in 2025 compared to 2024.
Cargo volumes at the Ivorian port hit 46.9 million tonnes in 2025, up from 40.1 million, a 17% increase, according to a media release by the Autonomous Port of Abidjan. Container traffic increased from 43.7 million tonnes in 2024 to 50.6 million tonnes in 2025, a 15.9% increase.
The performance, the port management says, is part of a demanding political-economic context, characterised by increased competition between West African ports, regional geopolitical tensions and a reconstruction of global logistics chains.
“Despite these challenges, the Port of Abidjan demonstrates its adaptability and structural resilience,” the statement says.
“In addition to port performance, these figures also translate to the sustained dynamism of the Ivorian economy and the rise in power of the national production apparatus. Thus, the port remains a reliable barometer of the country’s economic vitality.”
During the year under review, traffic in transit to neighbouring countries recorded a huge increase, reaching 3.9 million tonnes against 2.9 million in 2024, an equivalent of 34.9%.
Flows to Burkina Faso increased by over 15%, while movements to Mali increased by over 83% to 1.5 million tonnes in 2025, compared to 0.8 million tonnes in 2024.
“These results illustrate the competitiveness found on the corridors; namely Port of Abidjan – Burkina Faso and Port of Abidjan – Mali, as well as the renewed confidence of economic operators in landlocked countries. They also confirm the solidity of subregional economic ties, in a sometimes-complex political environment.”
From the port performance index, the numbers make for a good reading, but they did not come out of the blues.
Since 2012, more than 1,000 billion FCFA (approximately US$1.80 billion) has been invested in the modernisation of port infrastructure under the leadership of Hien Yacouba SIÉ, Managing Director of the Port of Abidjan Authority.
The investments have had a ripple effect, resulting in increased reception capacity, improvement in productivity and implementation of the port platform to international standards.
Going forward, the port management says the objective is to handle Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) by 2027, and to “sustainably establish itself as a reference logistics hub on the African Atlantic front.
Ostensibly, the port of Abidjan is not the one on the continent registering impressive figures. In February, Morocco’s port of Tanger Med said in its 2025 in review that container activity at Tanger Med Port Complex exceeded 11 million TEUs, recording a solid growth of over 8.4% compared to 2024, while overall tonnage reached 161 million tonnes, up over 13.3% in 2024.
Infrastructure upgrade was at the centre of the milestone. “In 2025, the four container terminals of the Tanger Med port complex handled 11,106,164 TEUs, marking an 8.4% increase compared to 2024. This strong performance was driven in particular by the commissioning of the latest extension to Terminal TC4, operated by APM Terminals,” the port management said.
Data indicates that the port complex welcomed 3,220,422 passengers and 895,341 vehicles in 2025, confirming continued growth year-on-year, with enhanced operational planning and capacity management contributing to more smooth passenger operations.
And in Kenya, the Kenya Ports Authority revealed that cargo handling volumes rose significantly at the country’s three ports over the past year, largely due to planned and ongoing development initiatives, according to Kenya Ports Authority (KPA).
KPA Managing Director Captain William Ruto said in media address in January while releasing KPA’s performance outlook for 2025 that cargo volumes through the Port of Mombasa hit a record 45.45 million metric tons for the period January to December 2025, a 10.9% increase, or 4.46 million metric tons compared to 2024 when the port handled 40.99 million metric tons, with Lamu and Kisumu also registering impressive results.
Oliver Ochieng, Blue Africa News