Joint APCP - IAPH Conference in Libreville: THE ABIDJAN PORT PRESENTS ITS ADVANCES IN SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT

Activités portuaires Tuesday 02 July 2024

The Abidjan Port Authority (PAA) played an active role in the joint conference organised by the Pan-African Association for Port Cooperation (APCP) and the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH), which highlighted the importance of resilience and intelligence in the management of African ports. The conference took place on 11 and 12 April 2024 in Libreville, Gabon.

At the closing ceremony of this conference on 12 April 2024, attended by the Gabonese Minister of Transport, Merchant Shipping and the Sea, Mr. Dieudonné NDINGA MOUDOUMA, all the speakers acknowledged the relevance of the debates on the central theme: “The Road to Resilient and Intelligent African Ports: What Prospects?” A number of port experts from Africa and the rest of the world took part in the meeting, which was punctuated by edifying panels on that theme.

Among the panellists, Mr. Tahirou DIARRASSOUBA, Secretary General of the Abidjan Port Community, representing the Managing Director of the PAA, presented the progress made by the Abidjan Port in terms of environmental protection, highlighting the innovations made at the second container terminal.

Mr. DIARRASSOUBA pointed out that the terminal, which has been in operation since November 2022, has been awarded three stars under the ‘green terminal’ label, which represents the highest score in that environmental certification, attesting to the low impact of the activities of this new Abidjan Port infrastructure on the environment.

The certification is the fruit of the commitment of the entire Abidjan Port Community, in line with the vision of its Chairman, Mr. Hien Yacouba SIÉ, Managing Director of the PAA.

Indeed, in addition to the ambition to provide a logistics hub meeting international standards on the Atlantic coast of Africa through the modernisation of its infrastructure, the PAA is also committed to sustainable environmental management, which has resulted in ISO 14001: 2015 certification since 2018.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Martin Boguikouma, Managing Director of the Office des Ports et Rades du Gabon (OPRAG) and Executive Chairman of the APCP, said that “as Africa plays an increasingly important role in world trade, it is essential that ports become examples of sustainability, innovation and advanced technologies.”

It’s worth noting that the joint APCP and IAPH conference was held in conjunction with OPRAG's 50th anniversary celebration.