NIGERIA TO HOST 3-DAY IAPH REGIONAL CONFERENCE

Tayo Oladipupo |

Nigeria is set to host the 2018 edition of regional conference of the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) between September 17 and 19, 2018.

This year’s edition will see nine African countries in attendance at the Abuja venue of the conference.

Briefing journalists on Friday, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms Hadiza Usman said nine African member countries are expected at the conference with the theme: “African Ports and Hinterland Connectivity”.

She stated that IAPH was established sixty one years ago to promote the global interest of ports worldwide and build strong member relationships where ideas on international best practices would be shared.

Usman who was elected the Vice President, African region of the association said it was the first time a Nigerian was elected in that capacity even as she added that her election was an opportunity to offer quality representation to the continent and reposition the maritime sector for better efficiency.

She quipped that the conference would be declared open by President Muhammadu Buhari while a former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (Rtd) is expected to be the chairman of the conference.

Participating African port authorities are Lagos (Nigeria), Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Durban (South Africa), Mombasa (Kenya) and Douala (Cameroon).

“Other participants expected at the conference include Cotonou Ports Authority (Benin), Dakar Ports Authority (Senegal), Target Med Port (Morocco), Port of Alexandria (Egypt),” she said.

Usman added that ports of Antwerp (Belgium) and Guangzhou (China) would attend the conference to share experience and insight on how to improve ports operations and attain better efficiency.

“They will be joined by experts from World Trade Organisation (WTO), International Maritime Organisation (IMO), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and African Development Bank (ADB).

“At the end of the conference, we hope to produce a document which can form the basis of policies that would guide our government in the important task of improving service delivery at African ports,” Usman said.

She said that the conference would enable African ports to attain their potential on the deployment of multimodal means of transportation and ensuring that cargoes were moved without delay.