ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, CYBERSECURITY, AND IOT INTEGRATION FOR SMART PORT MANAGEMENT IN NIGERIA: EVIDENCE FROM APAPA, TIN CAN ISLAND AND LEKKI DEEP SEA PORTS

This study examined the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity and the Internet of Things (IoT) for smart port management in Nigeria, against the backdrop of a national drive to digitalise port operations. Nigeria’s major ports such as Apapa, Tin Can Island and the recently commissioned Lekki Deep Sea Port handle over 90 percent of the nation’s international trade, yet suffer average cargo dwell times reported to range between 18 and 24 days, against three to eight days in fully digitised ports, with logistics costs accounting for 30 to 40 percent of total trade costs (Guardian, 2026). Adopting a cross-sectional survey design, the study drew on 325 port-authority officials, customs officers, terminal operators, shipping-line representatives and ICT experts across the selected ports, sampled through stratified random sampling. Two objectives guided the inquiry: to determine the extent to which AI–IoT integration influences smart port operational performance, and to assess the effect of cybersecurity integration on the resilience of smart port systems. Data were analysed using performance percentage analysis, descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation and simple linear regression at the 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed a strong positive and statistically significant relationship between AI–IoT integration and operational performance (r = 0.77, p < 0.05), and a significant positive effect of cybersecurity integration on system resilience (β = 0.70, p < 0.05, R² = 0.487). Percentage analysis showed that 83% of respondents affirmed that AI–IoT integration would reduce cargo dwell time and improve throughput. The study concludes that the integrated deployment of AI, cybersecurity and IoT is a decisive enabler of smart port transformation in Nigeria, though weak power and telecommunications infrastructure, skills shortages and cyber risk constrain its realisation. It recommends a national smart-port strategy, reliable enabling infrastructure, talent development and robust cybersecurity governance.