Nigerian Ports Authority is ready to work with the Ports Management Association of West and Central Africa for enhanced regional integration and increased participation of ports in the digital economy.
The Acting Managing Director of NPA, Mohammed Bello-Koko, stated this on Tuesday when he received, in his office, a delegation of PMAWCA, led by the Secretary-General, Jean Marie-Koffi.
The delegation came to officially invite the MD as a speaker at the coming 41st PMAWCA Council Meeting, with the theme, ‘Digitised Port as a Model of Port Efficiency’, scheduled for November 2021, in Douala, Cameroon.
Bello-Koko said the NPA was working steadily to digitalise operations at all port locations in the country, towards optimal efficiency, elimination of corrupt practices and service excellence.
The NPA boss also informed the delegation that NPA had, over the years, championed the transition from manual to digital, automated and smart business processes by working with sister government agencies and providers of terminal and shipping services in the country.
He noted that the approach enabled the country’s port system to continue to record increase in cargo throughput every year, despite that most of the seaports were operating far above their designed capacity.
Commending the PMAWCA scribe and his team for sustaining the cordial relations between the two organisations, Bello-Koko stated that the association had been a worthy partner at boosting regional trade and, most importantly, encouraging unity among ports within the sub region and Africa in general.
According to him, NPA has been implementing a port community system to improve collaboration and information sharing among all parties in the supply value chain.
“I, therefore, urge PMAWCA to remain steadfast in the promotion of the single window system as part of port operations in the sub-region. This is the right way to improve the efficiency of cargo clearance,” he added.
Responding, Marie-Koffi eulogised the NPA management for impactful contributions to the growth of the association.
He said the 16th Roundtable Conference of Managing Directors “is part of the highlights of the 41st PMAWCA Council Meeting,” where delegates of member ports and sister organisations outside the continent would share experiences on digital transformation of their ports, the challenges encountered, the solutions applied and achievements therefrom.
The 2020 edition of the PMAWCA Annual Council Meeting could not hold due to the Coronavirus Disease that ravaged every aspect of humanity.
