Africa must recognise the importance of ports for driving prosperity
PMAWCA urges African countries to drive prosperity
ANGOLA: The Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) is calling on African ports to recognise their importance in driving economic prosperity on the continent through modernisation and automation.
Speaking at the PMAWCA Board of Directors and Ports Statisticians Network Meetings in Luanda, Angola last week, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho who is also the managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), stated that the sustainability of Africa countries rests heavily on the sustainability of their seaports.
“We must not lose sight of the fact that the demonstrated global leadership of ports in the contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), shows that the sustainability of the world especially Africa rests heavily on the sustainability of our ports,” he said.
“The need to translate our marine comparative advantages into opportunities for the collective prosperity of our respective countries has never been more pressing than it is now.
“With the increasing realisation of the leverage that economic cooperation confers in the international arena, we will be doing great disservice to ourselves if we fail to maximise this unity through intensified collaboration of our ports.”
Dr Dantsoho further emphasised that data remains the major driver of effective decision making in port management.
“Coming together with the Statisticians Network, this meeting presents a smart model for regional synergy and partnership, which this administration intends to champion, especially given that data remains the major driver of effective decision making in port management,” he added.
“Statisticians Network gives us the capacity to expanded training opportunities across member ports. The modernisation of our ports and full automation of our processes through the Port Community System (PCS) and its corollary, the National Single Window (NSW) which is gaining momentum must be accompanied by strengthened economic cohesion among PMAWCA members,” he said confirming Nigeria’s commitment to these objectives.
“The specific objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which includes the progressive elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade in goods, liberalisation of trade in services and cooperation amongst others is pregnant with a lot of opportunities for wealth creation and prosperity.
PHOTO: President of the Port Management Association of West & Central Africa (PMAWCA)/ Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Dr Abubakar Dantsoho (Right) and Secretary-General of PMAWCA Mr Koffi Jean-Marie at the ongoing Meeting of the Board of Directors of (PMAWCA) in Luanda – Angola.
483