Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman, has commended the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMWCA) for continually serving as a multilateral organ for regional cooperation amongst ports in West and Central Africa and also, as a vehicle for the actualization of the dreams of the African Union (AU) as well as the objectives of New Partnership for African’s Development (NEPAD).

Hadiza Bala Usman gave the commendation in her welcome address to the delegates of PMWCA Technical Committee Meeting holding at Oriental Hotel in Lagos on the 26th of February, 2018.

She also identified PMWCA as a channel for the attainment of regional integration through consensus building on issues of maritime development and a platform for the exchange of information and expertise for synergy in the field of Port Operations, Administration, Legal Framework, Security and the safety of Navigation within the Gulf of Guinea. The Managing Director assured PMWCA of the Authority’s continuous support in its programs aimed at actualizing its mandate in the sub-region.

She stated further “Given the enormous potentials of the maritime sector on the continent and the significant role that Nigeria plays in the actualization of these potentials, the current management of the Nigerian Ports Authority is committed to supporting PMCWA as well as in the introduction innovations that would redirect the maritime industry in the continent to attain international best practices”

She disclosed further that the Authority would continue to pursue excellence through the automation of operational processes, partnering with the private sector for channel maintenance and infrastructural development and collaborating with sister agencies and stakeholders to build a Port Community System.

She urged PMWCA to devise ways to pilot the sub-region to take full advantage of trading opportunities by encouraging private sector involvement in the provision of port facilities as well as the pursuit of innovations that will bring the ports to international standards.

The Minister of Transportation, Honorable Rotimi Amaechi, told the delegates that the Nigerian government is determined to turn around the Nigerian economy. He also pointed out the strategic role Nigeria plays in ports development in the Gulf of Guinea and the sub-region.

The Minister, represented by Director Maritime Services, Alhaji Umar Galadanchi,  urged PMWCA to harness the enormous potentials of the maritime sector to the benefits of Nigeria and other members within the region.