Change Management and Port Operational Performance in Nigeria

The transfer of management and ownership of public institutions has become a common practice in most economies of the world including Nigeria. The ports being a critical factor for international trade has experienced change management from public to private sector. There is a need to see how the Nigerian ports are performing since the change of management. Thus, the study investigated the influence of change management on Nigerian port operational performance. The study employed expost facto research design with secondary data from 2006 to 2024. The study utilised descriptive statistics, 3-year average and trend analyses as data analytical methods to achieving the objectives of the study. The findings indicated that there exist fluctuations in the operational performance- cargo throughput, ship traffic volume and number of ships in the port as well as ship turnaround of the ports since the inception of the change management. The study concluded that since change management occurred in the Nigerian Ports, the operational performance has been experiencing inconsistencies. It was recommended that the government through its agencies should provide port infrastructure that will enhance the port operations towards justifying the change management.