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Back to top43th ANNUAL COUNCIL AND 18th MEETING OF THE MANAGING DIRECTORS OF PMAWCA :THE ABIDJAN PORT AUTHORITY TOOK PART IN THE MEETINGS
43th ANNUAL COUNCIL AND 18th MEETING OF THE MANAGING DIRECTORS OF PMAWCA :THE ABIDJAN PORT AUTHORITY TOOK PART IN THE MEETINGS
"The Ports and the African Continental Free Trade Area ( AFCFTA)".this topie was at the heart of the 43 th Annual Council of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa ( PMWCA ) which took place from 06 to 09 November 2023 at Continental Hotel in Lagos,Nigeria.
The Opening Ceremony of this statutory meeting was held on Monday 06 November 2023 in the presence of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy , Mr ADEGBOYEGO OYETOLA , representing the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria His Excellency Mr ASIWAJU BOLA AHMED TINUBU.
About 300 delegates including Ambassadors,Directors General and Executives of member ports of PMAWCA,experts and maritine and port consultants,ministers,representatives of international organizations and administrative authorities took part in this ceremony.
Abidjan Port,a major Hub Port in West Africa ,also founding member of the Association attended these meetings with a large delegation led by Mr Hien Yacouba SIÉ, Managing Director .
In his opening address, Mr Martin BOGUIKOUMA Managing Director of Gabon’s Ports and Harbours and also current President of PMAWCA, stated that ports will have to play a major role in the advent of AFCFTA ,which has come into operation in a context in which the exchanges level within the continent remains low.
Effectively ,intra –African trade only accounts for 15% of total volume of exchanges carried out on the continent.According to Mr BOGUIKOUMA,it is urgent for ports to bring necessary changes to meet efficiently challenges related to this free trade area,which is meant to speed up the continental integration and stimulate industrialization in Africa.
For Mr ADEGBOYE OYETOLA ,Nigerian Minister of Marine and Blue Economy,this 43th session of PMAWCA’s Annual Council,is a good opportunity for maritime and port experts to give some serious thought to the contribution of ports to make AFCFTA,this Panafrican initiative a success.Therefore, He urged the participants to take a smart approach and be creative during the working sessions so as to come up with strong recommendations likely to guide the leaders of member states in their decision making aimed at ensuring the success of AFCFTA,which turns out to be a huge development opportunity for Africa .
Let’s note that PMAWCA was established in 1972.The association which has around forty members has been working to strengthen cooperation and sharing of experience on the best management and operational practices ,but also to ensure security and environnemental protection in West and Central African Ports.
