The President of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA), Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, has emphasised that the sustainability of the world, especially Africa, depends significantly on the sustainability of the region’s seaports.
Dantsoho, who also serves as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), said the economic resilience of African countries is closely tied to how well they maintain and develop their seaports and other maritime infrastructure.
Speaking at the PMAWCA Board of Directors and Ports Statisticians Network Meetings in Luanda, Angola, Dantsoho called for urgent action by African nations to transform their marine comparative advantages into tangible opportunities for shared economic prosperity.
According to Dantsoho, apart from being connected by water, countries in West and Central Africa are also united by common challenges and opportunities.
“With the growing awareness of the strategic value of regional economic cooperation in global affairs, we would be doing ourselves a great disservice if we fail to maximise our unity through deeper collaboration across our ports,” he noted.
The PMAWCA Chief highlighted the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a framework rich with opportunities for economic growth.
He noted that AfCFTA’s objectives, including the gradual removal of tariffs and non-tariff barriers to trade in goods, liberalisation of trade in services, and increased cooperation among others, can unlock substantial wealth and prosperity for the continent.
Dantsoho further stressed that partnerships under the PMAWCA umbrella are vital for African countries to collectively navigate and harness these opportunities for the benefit of their national economies, with ripple effects across the region.
Dantsoho also underscored the critical role of data in modern port administration, noting that this meeting presents a smart model for regional synergy and partnership, which this administration is committed to championing, especially as data remains the key driver of effective decision-making in port management.
He further acknowledged that the Nigerian government, under President Bola Tinubu, has created an enabling environment for maritime sector reforms with the establishment of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
According to him, the new ministry has revitalised national efforts to invest in sector-specific talent development.
Dantsoho said the modernisation of Nigeria’s ports and the full automation of port operations through the Port Community System (PCS) and its counterpart, the National Single Window (NSW), are gaining traction.
“But these innovations must be accompanied by stronger economic cohesion among PMAWCA members. I would like to reaffirm Nigeria’s unwavering commitment to achieving this objective as quickly as possible,” he added.
