WISHING CEREMONY AT THE PAA: NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2022

Autres Tuesday 04 April 2023

The workers of the Abidjan Port Authority have (PAA) sacrificed to the traditional ceremony of the presentation of good wishes to the Port Authority on Thursday 19 January 2023, in the presence of the Minister of Transport, Mr. Amadou KONE.

Health, happiness, peace and prosperity, both in the family and at work, were the wishes expressed by the various speakers at this ceremony which took place at the Seamen's Club in Abidjan.

This was an opportunity for the Managing Director of PAA to give a flashback on the past year and to present the prospects for 2023 as well as for the years to come.

2022, he said, will have been a rich year for the Abidjan Port with the inauguration of the second container terminal, the continuation of work on the infrastructure of the grain terminal, which is 95% complete and will be commissioned in the first quarter of 2023, the growth in overall traffic which has reached 28.33 million tons, compared to 28.31 million tons in 2021, i.e. a growth of 0.1% compared to 2021, in a context of a general slowdown at world level.

The good financial health of the Abidjan Port Authority was also highlighted by Mr. Hien Yacouba SIÉ with the A1- short-term and AA- long-term ratings awarded by the financial rating agency Bloomfield Investment Corporation. The turnover also grew by about 6%, or 126.9 billion CFA FRANCS. The net result was 27.2 billion CFA francs (+ 1.08).

The Managing Director of PAA also highlighted the achievements in the area of security, with the removal, in December 2022, of the Abidjan Port from the list of unsafe and not frequentable ports of the “Port Security Advisory (1-22)” of the US Coast Guard.

In view of all these significant achievements, Mr. Hien SIÉ congratulated all the members of the Abidjan Port Community for the synergy of their efforts in achieving these results, as well as the workers of the Abidjan Port Authority to whom he granted an exceptional bonus in recognition of their merit.

Turning to the challenges of the year 2023, the Managing Director highlighted the key projects, including the completion of the infrastructure works of the grain terminal, the signing of a concession agreement for the fertilizer terminal, the increase in the performance of the logistics platform through the construction of a crossing structure of the Vridi canal with a connection to the road network via the Jacqueville bridge, and the development of part of the port's land reserve located on the western spur of the Vridi canal.

Proud of the work done at the Abidjan Port, the Minister of Transport, Mr. Amadou KONE, congratulated all the actors and asked them to always pool their efforts for an Abidjan Port more and more efficient and competitive. "We must take ownership of this port. Take care of the Abidjan Port" advised the Minister, who promised to be always present at the side of the economic operators of the port area.

In her speech, which was the first of the day, the Director of Human Resources, Mrs. MÉITÉ Salimata FOFANA, firstly expressed her gratitude to the Minister of Transport, then to the Managing Director of the Abidjan Port Authority for all the significant progress made by the Abidjan Port. She did not fail to congratulate all the workers of PAA for their contributions to the achievement of the objectives of the company. Rigor, Affiliation, Communication and Excellence (RACE) are the values of the PAA culture, which the Director of Human Resources asked the staff to make their own throughout the new year.

The president of the staff delegates, Mr. KIMOU Serge, acting as the spokesperson of the company's employees, also wished the Supervisory Authority and all the staff a happy new year.

While acknowledging the actions already carried out by the Managing Director for the benefit of the staff, he urged him to make more efforts to improve the living and working conditions of the staff. Finally, he recalled the expectations of the staff, notably, the continuation of direct social dialogue between the Top Management and the social partners, the reactivation of the death assistance system by the staff delegates, the subsidy of therapeutic swimming for patients who would be prescribed this treatment by the PAA Medical Centre, the initiation of an incentive bonus for the staff of the PAA Medical Centre, etc.

Finally, the president of the staff delegates reiterated the full commitment of the workers of the Abidjan Port Authority to achieving the company's objectives.

This ceremony of presentation of good wishes, marked by good humor and conviviality through the performances of artists and comedians, ended with a nice cocktail party.