The latest Lloyd’s List ranking of the best performing ports in the world in terms of container traffic for the year 2023 has just been published, and the Port of Lomé has managed to gain two places, going from 96th to 94th place. This progression demonstrates the constant improvement of port operations in Lomé while consolidating its position within this prestigious ranking. The port also maintains its 4th place in Africa and remains the leader in West Africa. In 2022, the Port of Lomé handled an impressive volume of 1,835,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units). Although this represents a slight decrease of 6.5% compared to the 1,962,304 TEUs recorded in 2021, this solid performance allowed the Togolese port to maintain its position as regional leader. Indeed, it remains the fourth most efficient port in terms of container traffic in Africa, closely following the ports of Tanger Med in Morocco, Port Said in Egypt, and the Port of Durban in South Africa.
In 2020, the President of the Togolese Republic, His Excellency Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, created a Ministry of Maritime Economy, Fisheries and Coastal Protection in Togo with the aim of further boosting the port sector and the blue economy in general. He appointed Mr. Kokou Edem TENGUE as head, when he was CEO of Maersk Togo. That same year, the Port of Lomé had a score of 1,725,270 TEU of volume handled, thus entering the following year in the prestigious Lloyd’s List ranking in 98th place. This new advancement of four places in the ranking in 2023 demonstrates the constant efforts made to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of port operations in Lomé. As a reminder, in 2021, the port handled a total of 1,962,304 TEUs, compared to 1,725,270 TEUs in 2020. This continued growth in container traffic shows that the Port of Lomé plays a vital role in facilitating regional and international trade, thereby helping to strengthen Togo’s position as an economic hub in West Africa. With this consistent performance, it is likely that the Port of Lomé will continue to feature in the Lloyd’s List top 100 in the years to come, demonstrating its commitment to maintaining high standards in port management and operational efficiency. .