Navigating Global Disruptions: Mobility, Energy, Trade Facilitation For A Resilient Future

Developments in the global energy market offer a compelling illustration of how international events affect domestic transport systems.

The US Energy Information Administration’s October 6, 2026, outlook reported that Brent crude oil averaged $114 per barrel in September, $23 higher than in August. Prices reached $131 per barrel on September 15 following attacks on energy infrastructure and disruptions to Saudi Arabia’s oil export routes. These developments underline the vulnerability of energy supplies to geopolitical instability.

For the transport industry, the consequences are immediate. Airlines face mounting aviation fuel bills. Shipping companies contend with higher vessel operating and insurance costs; road haulage operators experience increased fuel expenses; and businesses must absorb rising logistics costs.

Ultimately, these pressures can translate into higher passenger fares, more expensive goods and reduced competitiveness for businesses already struggling with operating costs. Nigeria cannot control global oil prices or determine the outcome of international conflicts.

However, we can strengthen our domestic transport infrastructure, improve operational efficiency and develop policies that reduce the extent to which external shocks undermine our economy. The lesson is clear: energy security and transport resilience are inseparable.

MARITIME INSECURITY AND THE GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN

The maritime sector provides another powerful example. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), maritime transport carries more than 80 per cent of world trade. Its Review of Maritime Transport 2025 reported that shipping through the Suez Canal remained approximately 70 per cent below 2023 levels as of May 2025, reflecting continuing disruption to the Red Sea corridor.

Diversions around the Cape of Good Hope increased the distance travelled by maritime cargo by a record 5.9 per cent in 2024.

More recently, Reuters reported on October 15, 2026, that transporting approximately two million barrels of crude oil from the United States to Japan aboard a supertanker was expected to cost $81 million, compared with an average of $9.1 million for a similar voyage a year earlier.

These figures demonstrate how insecurity, longer routes, vessel shortages and rising insurance premiums can transform transportation into a major source of inflation.

For import-dependent economies, the consequences extend beyond the shipping industry. Delayed deliveries disrupt manufacturing, increase inventory costs and complicate distribution. Exporters face uncertainty, while consumers ultimately bear part of the additional burden.

For Nigeria, the implications are significant. We must ask how our ports can become more competitive, how cargo can be evacuated efficiently, and how our logistics networks can respond when international trade routes are disrupted.

IDENTIFYING OPPORTUNITIES

We must examine opportunities to position Nigeria’s ports and  transport corridors as efficient gateways for regional trade, particularly as African countries pursue greater economic integration.

Nigeria must stop thinking in silos. Global disruptions do not create all our transport challenges. Often, they expose weaknesses that already exist.

Nigeria possesses considerable advantages: a large domestic market, extensive maritime access, significant agricultural and industrial potential, and opportunities across aviation, rail, road and inland waterways. Yet, these advantages will remain underutilized unless our transport modes function as parts of an integrated system.

A seaport cannot achieve its full economic potential when cargo evacuation is inefficient. A railway cannot deliver maximum value without effective connections to ports, industrial centres, inland terminals and road networks. An airport’s contribution to commerce and tourism also depends on reliable surface access, efficient cargo handling and connections to business centres.

Our task therefore, is not simply to build more infrastructure. It is to ensure that existing and new infrastructure work together to move people and goods safely, affordably and efficiently.

Road, rail, maritime, aviation and inland waterway transport must complement one another. Better integration can reduce delays, lower logistics costs, improve access to markets and strengthen the competitiveness of Nigerian businesses.

This is particularly important as Nigeria seeks to benefit from the African Continental Free Trade Area. Access to a larger African market will deliver limited benefits if Nigerian producers cannot move their goods reliably and competitively to customers across the continent. Our transport system must become an engine of trade expansion, not an obstacle to it.

ENERGY, INVESTMENT AND POLICY CONSISTENCY

The  theme of this year’s Nigeria Transport Summit “Navigating Global Disruptions and the Road Ahead: Mobility, Energy and Trade Facilitation for a Resilient Future,” deliberately places energy alongside mobility and trade facilitation because no transport system can be resilient without reliable and economically viable energy supplies.

Nigeria must pursue practical measures to improve fuel supply reliability, encourage energy efficiency and explore viable alternative energy sources where operationally and commercially appropriate. These efforts must address the immediate needs of existing transport operators while preparing the sector for long-term technological and environmental changes.

Equally important is a predictable policy and regulatory environment. Investors need clarity on government priorities, regulatory requirements, concession arrangements and the long-term direction of transport development.

Frequent policy changes, overlapping institutional responsibilities and poor coordination can discourage investment and increase the cost of doing business.

Government and private-sector operators must therefore work together to develop infrastructure projects that respond to identifiable economic needs, demonstrate commercial and public value, and deliver measurable benefits.

Resilience also requires stronger use of technology and reliable data. Digital cargo tracking, improved traffic and logistics management, timely information sharing and effective risk assessment can help operators anticipate disruptions and make better decisions.

For Nigeria, resilience must mean more than surviving a crisis. It must mean anticipating disruption, absorbing its impact, adapting operations and recovering without bringing economic activity to a standstill.

A CALL FOR COLLECTIVE ACTION

Nigeria cannot determine the course of geopolitical conflicts or control every disruption to international shipping but we can improve our preparedness.

We can strengthen our ports, improve road and rail connections, support efficient aviation operations, develop inland waterways and encourage investments that address genuine logistics needs.

We can also strengthen collaboration between government, regulators, investors and operators to ensure that decisions in one transport sector support progress across the others.

Transport must be recognized as a strategic national asset with direct implications for economic growth, food security, industrial development, tourism and international competitiveness.

The responsibility for transformation does not rest with government alone. Operators, investors, professional associations, researchers and the media all have important roles to play in promoting accountability, innovation and practical solutions.

CONCLUSION

The disruptions confronting the global transport industry are serious, but they also provide an opportunity to rethink how we plan, connect and operate our transport systems. Infrastructure without integration cannot deliver its full value, while efficiency without resilience leaves an economy exposed to shocks.

Nigeria must build a transport system capable of moving people and goods efficiently under normal conditions and adapting effectively to geopolitical tensions, energy volatility and supply-chain disruptions. This requires vision, investment, policy consistency and sustained collaboration.

EXCERPTS FROM A WELCOME ADDRESS DELIVERED BY MRS. PEARL NGWAMA AT THE SECOND NIGERIA TRANSPORT SUMMIT 2026 HELD AT PROVIDENCE HOTEL, IKEJA, OCTOBER 23, 2026