Last week, Abubakar Dantsoho, managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), was elected chairman of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) at the 44th annual council and 19th roundtable of Directors General of PMAWCA in Conakry-Guinea.
With over 400 delegates from over 20 countries present, the emergence of Dantsoho as the first chairman of PMAWCA with Nigerian origin was a crowning moment for the nation’s maritime sector.
The decision to crown the NPA boss as the chairman of the regional maritime association was unanimous and it goes to show that reforms carried out in Nigeria’s marine and blue economy sector has started yielding positive fruits.
Before now, Dantsoho has been in the forefront of ensuring that the country wrestles Nigerian-bound cargo from neighbouring countries where the nation’s cargo is being diverted hitherto.
Since his appointment, he has been putting structures in place to transform the NPA, the port landlord and ensure operational efficiency.
Established in October 1972 under the auspices of the Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), PMAWCA covers the seaports located along the West Coast of Africa including Mauritania and Angola. Its shipping area covers a coastline of about 12,000 km and the port within the region handles about 300 million tons of maritime import/export trade for the sub-region excluding crude oil.
PMAWCA consists of 24 regular member ports and eight associate members spanning from Mauritania to Angola along the West African coast. It includes Anglophone, Francophone, and Lusophone countries with official languages in English, French, and Portuguese, as well as observer members in Europe.
Its objective is for the ports in the region to collaborate and share knowledge on best practices in port management and operations to deliver efficient and effective port services to clients (ships and cargo owners) while maintaining the best culture of safety.
“The recognition represents a significant milestone in the effort to move maritime states in the West and Central African region towards global competitiveness and delivery of world-class services,” said Dantsoho during his acceptance speech.
He said the federal government’s commitment to transform Nigeria’s maritime industry has been characterised by reforms in critical segments of the industry, including port rehabilitation and modernisation, infrastructure, digitisation and automation.
These measures, he said, would boost operational efficiency and revenue generation, while augmenting the federal government’s efforts to diversify the economy by boosting non-oil exports.
“Today, I accept the mantle of leadership of our great association, PMAWCA and to serve as its chairman. Nigeria’s determination to grow maritime trade is demonstrated by the actions of Adegboyega Oyetola, minister of Marine & Blue Economy. These actions are in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu targeted at sustaining the momentum established by my predecessor, Martin Boguikuoma, managing director of Gabon Ports Authority,” he said.
He told member states to put efforts together to consolidate the economic cohesion of the region and to actualise the interests of member ports.
Calling for collaboration among member states, he said, that through robust commitment and collaboration mandates can be achieved.
Dantsoho called for the cooperation and advice of members to ensure the continued development of the maritime sector in the West and Central African sub-region.
He promised to push forward with objectives including the realisation of the planned relocation of the PMAWCA headquarters to a befitting place in Lagos Nigeria, train the members, and deliver on the port community system.
FG backs Dantsoho’s election
Congratulating him, Adegboyega Oyetola, minister of Marine and Blue Economy, said Dantsoho’s election shows that efforts put into the transformation of Nigeria’s port industry are being recognised globally.
Oyetola said the recognition will boost Nigeria’s effort to reclaim its global relevance among maritime nations.
Creating the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy is a monumental step towards harnessing the vast untapped potential of Nigeria’s maritime sector.
“I congratulate Dantsoho for his election and I am sure he can deliver. The decision to create the Blue Economy Ministry demonstrates Mr President deep understands of the economic possibilities of the sector and his political will to ensure that Nigeria reclaims its rightful place as a key maritime player globally.
“The maritime industry has the potential to transform Nigeria’s economy, create jobs, and improve livelihoods. With our rich coastline and strategic location, the country is well-positioned to become a hub for maritime activities in Africa. This Ministry reflects the government’s commitment to building a future where the blue economy plays a major role in national prosperity,” Oyetola explains.
Support for landlocked countries
Presenting a paper, Dantsoho advocated for the completion of international highways and rail routes linking landlocked and coastal states such as Niger, Lagos, Tema and Abidjan.
To him, this will ensure efficient service provision to the landlocked states at reduced cost.
He said out of the 44 landlocked countries in the world, Africa accounts for 16, making it a moral duty for coastal states to provide access to the sea for the landlocked countries.
“Today, the question is finding how best to service the hinterland without scrambling for the service and how coastal states can build shared capacity to ensure service provision to the landlocked states is efficient and at a reduced cost.
“There should be sustained and sincere agenda to build complete international highways and rail routes to ease cargo evacuation,” he explained.
According to him, African nations need to leverage the strength of each other to facilitate trade with landlocked countries, share ideas and information on advancements in technology that can enhance service delivery.
He said there is a need for technological connectivity between littoral states to expedite transit cargo transportation particularly where multiple transits by water is required within the sub-region.
Also, the region needs to establish multilateral agreements and trading partnerships with neighbouring coastal countries and other regional partners, infrastructure planning, and coordinating investments in port infrastructure and transportation networks.
This explains why the NPA boss called for the completion of the proposed Abidjan to Lagos highway by ECOWAS Heads of State which will link the most economically dynamic cities, ports and the most densely populated urban areas in West Africa.
Dantsoho said there is also a need for regulatory harmonisation to align policies and procedures and facilitate smooth cargo movement.
Policy alignment, according to him, is critical for the transhipment of cargo, and joint initiatives for security, safety, and environmental protection.
He said ports in the region, particularly the Shippers’ Councils must continue to work together to negotiate better rates with shipping lines, aligning vessel schedules to reduce congestion and increase efficiency.
Driving best practices in terminal operations
Terminal operation is an integral part of the port business. This explains why efficient terminal operation helps to reduce cost burdens for the consignees.
The exchange of best practices in terminal operations and capacity use, collaborating on rail, road and inland waterway connections and emergency response planning are ways to enhance cargo handling in port terminals.
The NPA boss said there is a need for joint contingency planning for accidents or disruptions, engaging in diplomatic and cultural exchange programmes.
“Benefits such as increased efficiency, improved competitiveness, enhanced customer satisfaction, reduced costs and better use of resources can be derived if achieved.
“The relationship between shipping and the hinterland is interdependent, which implies that surmounting the challenges associated with the fluidity of port operations requires a strong nexus between the maritime space and the hinterland as the two constitute the domain of global freight circulation,” he added.
Facilitating growth
Seaports are critical hubs for world trade and serve as catalysts for growth. Interestingly, seaports must be efficiently handled to harness the benefits for economic growth.
To realise these benefits, Mamadou Biro Diallo, managing director of the Port Autonome de Conakry, said the connectivity and the flexibility of logistics value chains play a decisive role in ensuring that nations reap the benefits in seaports.
“For this growth to be truly beneficial, connectivity between the ports and the hinterland must be based on a varied infrastructure network including roads, railways and waterways,” he said
Diallo said the Port Autonome de Conakry supports the development of countries by offering quality services.
He added that it requires strong collaboration between public and private players, a commitment to sustainable investment in infrastructure and greater adoption of new technologies.
By doing so, the West and Central African region can build more efficient supply chains that will support local economies and global trade.
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