Last week in Kobe, Japan, global port leaders endorsed the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho as as Vice-President of the International Association for Ports & Harbours, a testament to his stelar performance since his appointment as NPA boss by president Bola Tinubu, writes Eromosele Abiodun

At the just concluded World Ports Conference in Kobe-Japan, Port professionals drawn from 64 Countries endorsed the election of the Managing Director Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho as Vice-President of the International Association for Ports & Harbours (IAPH). 

Coming on the heels of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approval of the National Policy on Marine & Blue Economy,  Dantsoho’s election as Vice-President of the IAPH is a testament of Nigeria’s growing influence in the comity of Maritime nations.  

IAPH is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. In November 1955, some 100 world port leaders gathered in Los Angeles to announce the creation of IAPH. Over the past six decades, IAPH has developed into a global alliance of ports, representing today some 190 ports and 167 port-related businesses in 89 countries as of 6 December 2024. The member ports together handle well over 60 per cent of the world’s sea-borne trade and over 60 per cent of the world container traffic. 

IAPH aims to be the global trade association of choice for port authorities and operators, representing their interests at regulatory level at the International Maritime Organisation, the World Customs Organisation (WCO), the International Standards Organisation (ISO) and other global alliances such as the Global Maritime Forum and the World Economic Forum.

IAPH has consultative status and works on behalf of ports with additional United Nations bodies such as the United Nation Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), United Nation Environment Program (UNEP) and the United Nations’ Global Compact.

Agenda for African Port Growth

Against the backdrop of his inauguration as Vice President (Africa) of the International Association of Ports and Harbours, Dantsoho outlined his key priorities for advancing port development across the continent.

Speaking after his inauguration at the recently concluded World Ports Conference, themed “Reinvention and Prosperity in Turbulent Times”, Dantsoho said his focus will be on effective policy implementation, enhanced collaboration, strengthened cooperation, and improved trade facilitation within Africa’s port sector.

African ports, he noted, play a critical role in global trade but face challenges such as; infrastructure deficits, policy inconsistency, and limited technological adoption. 

However, the NPA MD said unified action among African port authorities and stakeholders to address challenges facing African ports would be central to his leadership agenda at the IAPH.

According to him, his administration, through the deployment of port innovativeness will capture tangible, sustainable investment returns in high-risk environments.

“This responsibility has fired up my resolve more than ever before to be the vanguard of galvanising national and regional policy action steps geared towards institutionalising ports’ eco-friendliness in line with the dictates of IAPH’s World Ports Sustainability Program.

“Reinvention and prosperity in turbulent times through the deployment of port innovativeness to capture tangible, sustainable investment returns in high-risk environments is a global exigency that the world can most efficiently surmount if IAPH members speak with one voice through renewed collaboration and cooperation,” he said.

The NPA boss further stated that he will champion full automation of African ports to eliminate trade barriers.

“I intend to deploy my current role as President of the Pan-African Association for Port Cooperation (PAPC) to more intentionally promote collaboration and cooperation. Cognisant of the catalytic role of automation as the linchpin of ports’ efficiency and sustainability, I intend to infuse greater action behind the necessity of full automation of African Ports as the most veritable tool for elimination of barriers to trade,” he concluded.

Efficiency, Trade Facilitation

Dantsoho said that the ongoing ports reconstruction across Africa will engender efficiency, trade facilitation and revolutionise the industry in the continent.

According to him, “Now, for those of us from Africa, we are normally identified as the new frontier because of the great potentials of our continent. The continent of Africa has a population of about 1.5 billion people. In terms of coastline, we have about 34,000 km of coastline. Unfortunately, in the area of infrastructure and the port system, we have been falling behind. And now we have realised that it is important to do a lot of catching up very quickly.

“I want to say that it is interesting to observe that most of the ports in Africa now are putting a lot of funding into port infrastructure. For example, we have the Simado project in Guinea Conakry, which is going for about $11 billion. We have projects like that in Morocco, $2.5 billion and Nigeria, $1.5 billion to develop this infrastructure. This is a game changer for us.

He added, “For us, I think that is the most important step to take because the infrastructure has been very old. So we need to have this new one so we can accommodate all kinds of capabilities to the specific diversions. In any case, not only having the capability to receive the diversions for Africa is important, I think it is also important to have the efficiency to be able to also receive medium-sized and even smaller services.”

Outlining is agenda as IAPH Vice President, he said, “Your Excellences, very distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, I count it a great privilege and a good fortune to be part of the noble cause that being inaugurated as VP IAPH for Africa means to me.  I am poised with the support of my highly respected colleagues to contribute to advancement of the fortunes of global trade as follows:  Policy Implementation; this responsibility has fired up my resolve more than ever before, to be vanguard of galvanizing national and regional policy action steps geared towards institutionalizing ports eco-friendliness in line with the dictates of IAPH’s World Ports Sustainability Program.

“Renewed Collaboration & Cooperation: “Reinvention and Prosperity in Turbulent Times” through the deployment of port innovativeness to capture tangible, sustainable investment returns in high-risk environments is a global exigency that the world can most efficiently surmount if IAPH members speak with one voice through renewed collaboration and cooperation.

“Trade Facilitation; Cognisant of the catalytic role of automation as the linchpin of ports efficiency and sustainability, I intend to infuse greater action behind the necessity of full automation of African Ports as the most veritable tool for elimination of barrier to trade.”

He added that he intends to deploy my current role as President of the Pan-African Association for Port Cooperation (PAPC) to more intentionally promote collaboration and cooperation.

On the need for investment more in technology, he said, “So we are seeing that in the way we are approaching improvements in the area of technology. For example, a majority of the ports in Africa, especially in West Africa now, have capabilities in the area of profitability systems.

“So these are processes or approaches that we are going to continue to improve upon. And then we have realised that these are also capital-intensive projects that cannot be done by individual countries. So we are going to continue to promote collaboration, partnership, and then especially we are going to also do a lot in the area of trust and relationship with advanced economies so that they can feel the comfort and the assurance of community-based outcomes.”

He applauded the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola for his drive and vision for the blue economy.

He acknowledge that without the ministers’ support the achievements he has recorded so far would not have been possible.