APM Terminals West Africa Container Terminal (WACT), Onne in Rivers State has signed a Memorandum of Agreement to promote cooperation and development in its host community of Ogu.
Speaking at the agreement signing ceremony, Naved Zafar, managing director of WACT, said the move will enhance peace and economic development of the community.
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“I have looked forward to this day for almost two years. We started operations with a very small team, no place of our own, not much of a container business, but with a strong vision and commitment for the future.
“Looking at where we are now and what we have achieved, we can all be proud of it. That represents an incredible story of public-private and local community partnership in Nigeria, where international companies come and invest in a Greenfield project, and based on that, develop an entire port ecosystem, promote Nigerian trade and support the local community,” he said.
Zafar said over the past two and a half years, WACT has been on a transformation journey that includes enhancing relations with the host communities.
“We started our partnership, and to better cooperate with each other, we brought in transparency, visibility, and inclusivity in strong alignment with our group’s purpose of improving life for all by integrating the world. At WACT, we are on a mission to make life better for our people, which does not end with our employees but also our stakeholders, which the good people of Ogu community stand tall,” Zafar said.
Vincent Nemieboka, executive chairman of Ogu/Bolo Local Government and representative of Isaac William, Chief of Staff, commended WACT for bringing positive changes and development to the community.
The agreement signing ceremony was witnessed by the management staff of WACT, members of the House of Assembly representing the Ogu/Bolo state constituency of Rivers State, community leaders and representatives of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority (OGFZA), Nigeria Customs Services (NCS), Department of State Service (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
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WACT is the first Greenfield terminal built in Nigeria under the public-private partnership initiated by the Federal Government in 2003. Located in the Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone in Rivers State, WACT caters to the greater Port Harcourt area and Eastern Nigeria, including the oil and gas industry.
