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CLOSING OF THE 43rd COUNCIL MEETING AND THE 18th ROUND TABLE OF PMAWCA DIRECTORS-GENERAL: IMPORTANT DECISIONS TAKEN TO SPEED UP THE IMPLEMENTATION OF AfCFTA

CLOSING OF THE 43rd COUNCIL MEETING AND THE 18th ROUND TABLE OF PMAWCA DIRECTORS-GENERAL: IMPORTANT DECISIONS TAKEN TO SPEED UP THE IMPLEMENTATION OF AfCFTA

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CLOSING OF THE 43rd COUNCIL MEETING AND THE 18th ROUND TABLE OF PMAWCA DIRECTORS-GENERAL: IMPORTANT DECISIONS TAKEN TO SPEED UP THE IMPLEMENTATION OF AfCFTA

Thursday 18 January 2024

 

 

After 4 days of work, the 43rd Council and 18th Round Table of Directors-General of PMAWCA ended on 09 November 2023, at the Continental Hotel in Lagos, Nigeria.

Under the central theme of "Ports and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)," the association's member ports took stock of the implementation of this trade agreement in the ports of West and Central Africa.

At the closing ceremony, Martin Boguikouma, Managing Director of the Office des Ports et Rades du Gabon (OPRAG- Gabon Ports and Harbours Authority) and current Chairman of PMAWCA, said that it was urgent for ports to make the necessary changes to meet the challenges posed by the AfCFTA, which should accelerate integration, stimulate the production and processing of raw materials, and boost industrialisation on the continent.

That requirement was reflected in a number of recommendations made at the end of the meeting. These include:

  • strengthening port digitalisation by dematerialising procedures (administrative and customs) and operational activities;
  • developing an African platform by building port infrastructures in line with international standards. This will enable the continent to be better served;
  • consolidating mechanisms to promote access to private finance to support the investment needed for port activities;
  • strengthening connectivity with the hinterland in order to minimise the disruption of loads, thanks to the development of multimodal transport;
  • and strengthening inter-state cooperation on safety and security.

Furthermore, to ensure the economic success of the AfCFTA, the PMAWCA’s experts recommended industrialisation and the processing of raw materials as solutions.

It is also worth noting that the 44th Annual Council will be held in November 2024 in the Republic of Guinea, on the theme, "Ports and the Marine Coastal Environment."