The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority who doubles as President of the Ports Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA), Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, has task African countries to tap into their marine resources and comparative advantages for the collective prosperity of their respective countries.

Addressing members at the PMAWCA Board of Directors and Ports Statisticians Network Meetings in Luanda, Angola, said the sustainability of Africa countries depends on the operational efficiency of their seaports.

The PMAWCA President noted that apart from being linked by water, countries in West and Central Africa are linked by challenges and 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 the contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), shows that the sustainability of the world especially Africa rests heavily on the sustainability of our ports,” he said.

“As I stated last week in my engagement with the PMAWCA Women Network at the NPA headquarters in Lagos, apart from being linked by water, countries in West and Central Africa are linked by challenges and opportunities and With the increasing realization of the leverage that economic cooperation confers in the international arena, we will be doing great disservice to ourselves if we fail to maximize this unity through intensified collaboration of our ports.”

On the importance of data and statistics, Dr. Dantsoho reiterated that data is the  driver of effective decision making in Port Management.

According to him “Coming together with the Statisticians Network, this meeting presents a smart model for regional synergy and partnership, which this administration intends to champion, especially given that data remains the major driver of effective decision making in Port Management,” Dantsoho further said.

He commended President Bola Tinubu for creating the Marine and Blue Economy Ministry, saying that the creation of the ministry has made implementation of audacious plans for the sector easier.

“With the visionary creation of the new Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy which has re-energized our resolve to invest more in sector-specific talent development order to harness more ideas from operational think tanks such as the PMAWCA”

On trade and partnerships by African state Dantsoho said  “The specific objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which includes the progressive elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade in goods, liberalization of trade in services and cooperation amongst others is pregnant with a lot of opportunities for wealth creation and prosperity, which I am convinced that our partnership and holding of hands under the umbrella PMAWCA will equip us to safely midwife for the benefit of our respective national economies with domino effect on the economy of the sub-region.”

“At the Board of Director’s meeting, we will be reviewing the outcomes of 2024 activities, examining our recommendations and budgets well as deliberating on the strategic direction of our esteemed Association,” he stated.