The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and President, Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho has called on African nations to leverage on their marine comparative advantages into tangible economic opportunities that will foster collective prosperity across the continent.
Dantsoho who made this call at the PMAWCA Board of Directors and Ports Statisticians Network Meetings held in Luanda, Angola stressed that the future sustainability of African nations is closely tied to the viability and growth of their seaports.
He noted that countries in the West and Central African sub-regions are not only connected by water but also by shared challenges and mutual opportunities.
His words: “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. We must not lose sight of the fact that the demonstrated global leadership of ports in driving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) shows that the sustainability of the world—especially Africa—rests heavily on the sustainability of our ports.”
Dantsoho who made referencing to a recent meeting with the PMAWCA Women Network at NPA headquarters in Lagos, reiterated that economic cooperation among regional ports must be intensified to unlock the full potential of marine assets.
Continuing, he said: “With the increasing realization of the leverage that economic cooperation confers in the international arena, we will be doing ourselves a great disservice if we fail to maximize this unity through deeper collaboration among our ports.”
He also highlighted the pivotal role of data in port management and strategic planning, lauding the synergy between PMAWCA and the Statisticians Network.
Giving an insight into the rationale for the meeting, he said: “This meeting, alongside the Statisticians Network, presents a smart model for regional synergy and partnership. This is a model our administration is eager to champion, especially given that data remains the major driver of effective decision-making in port management.”
The PMAWCA President commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the creation of the Marine and Blue Economy Ministry, pointing out that the move has reinvigorated efforts toward sector-specific growth and innovation.
According to him, the visionary establishment of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy has re-energized our commitment to talent development in the sector, allowing us to harness ideas from operational think tanks such as PMAWCA. Nigeria remains committed to the full modernization and automation of its port operations through the implementation of the Port Community System (PCS) and the National Single Window (NSW). These reforms must be accompanied by strengthened economic cohesion among PMAWCA member states, and I want to reaffirm Nigeria’s unwavering commitment to achieving this as quickly as possible.
On the opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Dantsoho described the agreement as a platform for wealth creation and economic transformation.
His words: “The AfCFTA’s objectives—such as eliminating trade barriers, liberalizing services, and fostering regional cooperation—offer immense opportunities. I believe our partnership under PMAWCA will enable us to realize these benefits for our individual economies and the sub-region at large. The PMAWCA Board of Directors meeting will review the outcomes of the association’s 2024 activities, assess recommendations and budget plans, and deliberate on strategic priorities for the future”.
