By Adedapo Adesanya
Danish shipping giant, AP Moller-Maersk, has denied recent claims by the Presidency that it will invest $600 million in Nigeria’s port expansion and improvement project.
This marks yet another gaffe from the presidency after it claimed that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had lifted a visa ban on Nigerians, a statement that originated from the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Ajuri Ngelale.
Several media, including Business Post, had reported that AP Moller-Maersk agreed to the investment in a meeting with Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Special Meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Sunday, according to the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity.
The investment would have followed the development of a container terminal in Ogun and was supposed to take Maersk’s investment in Nigeria to $2 billion.
However, the company has now confirmed that it did not make such a commitment to the president, although there was a meeting.
A report by Lloyd’s List claimed Maersk said that the deal does not exist.
The company officials cited in the report said while its Chairman, Mr Robert Maersk Uggla, met Nigerian President Bola Tinubu over the weekend, no new investment deal was signed as claimed.
“Maersk has been present in Nigeria for 35 years and, as a global provider of logistics services, we remain committed to developing opportunities for growth to people, the port sector and businesses locally,” the company said in a statement to 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.”
Maersk is due to report first-quarter results on Thursday, May 2.