02
Transportation & Logistics·Case 02·2023

Lagos-Apapa Port Decongestion

Systems DynamicsNetwork FlowUrban Logistics
Student

Chukwuemeka Obi

SE Final Year Project, 2023

01
The Problem

Plain language

The Apapa port, gateway to 60% of Nigeria's imports, was losing the country an estimated ₦2.1 trillion annually through gridlock. Ships queued offshore for weeks. Trucks locked the only access roads for days. Every sector dependent on imports — manufacturing, retail, medicine — bore the cost.

02
Methodology

SE approach applied

Applied Systems Dynamics modelling to map the full port ecosystem: cargo arrival patterns, berth allocation, inland container depot flows, truck scheduling, and customs clearance sequences. Built a discrete-event simulation to identify bottlenecks and test scheduling interventions before deployment.

Disciplines Applied

Systems DynamicsNetwork FlowUrban Logistics
Key Outcomes
−61%
Truck turnaround time
4,000+
Daily Eto system bookings
72→28hrs
Average port dwell time
03
Outcome

Impact & results

Proposed scheduling model reduced average truck turnaround time from 72 hours to 28 hours in simulation. Blueprint adopted by Lagos State Government for the Eto truck booking system rollout, now processing 4,000+ bookings daily.

CO

Chukwuemeka Obi

SE Final Year Project, 2023

Student2023

Published by

ASES · UNILAG

Association of Systems Engineering Students