NPA seeks solution to port cargo movement hiccups

Determined to ensure ease of cargo movement from ports in Africa, especially Nigeria, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has concluded arrangements to host global port industry experts in the upcoming International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) Africa Regional Conference billed for Abuja next Monday.

The three-day conference scheduled to begin on Monday 17 September and end on Wednesday 19, is themed ‘African Ports and Hinterland Connectivity,’ and would be declared open by President Muhammadu Buhari and chaired by Abdulsalmi Abubakar, a former Nigerian head of state.

Speaking in Lagos at the weekend during a media unveiling of the programmes for the first regional conference, Hadiza Bala Usman, managing director of the NPA, said the conference was prompted by the need for maritime stakeholders on the African continent to come together and chart a new course towards development of African ports.

According to her, the need to deploy multimodal means of transportation (road, rail and water) which ensures cargoes are moved without delay and with less cost for the shipper, if ports in the region must attain their potential.

Usman said it is also expected that at the end of the conference, a document that can form the basis for policies that would guide governments in the task of improving service delivery at African ports, would be produced.

Usman, who was elected the Vice President of IAPH (Africa Region) in July 2017, said that the conference will provide Nigeria with clear experiences from other climes on interconnectivity and intermodal strategies that will help for the decongestion of port access roads, especially in Lagos.

“It is expected that African countries would be afforded the opportunity to be best informed on practical ways to prioritise hinterland connections to improve cargo evacuation within their territories. This is one way to ensure efficiency in port operations,” she said.

The theme of the conference will be discussed under four categories namely: port and hinterland connectivity: components, modal options; funding options for hinterland connectivity – hard and soft infrastructure; Africa’s ports landscape: infrastructure, governance models, and landlocked transit corridors, as well as sustainability and facilitation of the logistics and transport supply chain.

Participants are expected from Nigeria’s maritime and trade sectors, and international participants from the World Trade Organisation (WTO); the International Maritime Organisation (IMO); UNCTAD; the African Development Bank (AfDB); the Lagos-Abidjan trade corridor and the Walvis Bay Corridor Group; Antwerp Port Authority; Guangzhou Port Authority and Port of Miami (Florida).

Others are Port Authorities from South Africa; Kenya; Cameroon; Benin Republic; Cote d’Ivoire; Senegal; Morocco; Egypt and Nigeria, which is the host country.

The lead sponsors for the conference include INTELS Nigeria Ltd; the Dangote Group; Starzs Marine; African Circle; the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA); Bonny Channel Management (BCM); Indorama; PTML; DISN; Depasa Group of Companies; Lekki Port; NEM Insurance and DUTUM.

The International Association of Ports and Harbors headquartered in Tokyo, was founded in 1955 as a global professional group for seaport operators across the world.

AMAKA ANAGOR