CLOSING OF THE 45TH ANNUAL PMAWCA COUNCIL:

Activités portuaires Monday 09 February 2026

THE PORT OF ABIDJAN REAFFIRMS ITS LEADERSHIP IN AFRICAN PORT TRANSFORMATION

The official closing ceremony of the 45th Annual Council of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) was held on Friday, November 7, 2025, in Pointe-Noire, marking the conclusion of four days of strategic exchanges centered on the theme:

“Reinventing port land management: towards sustainable and resilient enhancement of infrastructure in the face of economic and environmental challenges.”

Held under the chairmanship of Mrs. Ghislaine Ebouka-Babackas, Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation of the Republic of Congo, the solemn session brought together high-level figures from the African port industry, including Mr. Abubakar Dantsoho, President of PMAWCA and Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority; Mr. Séraphin Bhalat, Managing Director of the Port Autonome de Pointe-Noire (PAPN); and Mr. Jean-Marie Koffi, Secretary General of PMAWCA, alongside numerous other port executives and experts from across the continent.

With long a standing commitment to the dynamics of regional cooperation, the Port of Abidjan once again stood out through the quality of its participation.

Led by its Managing Director, Mr. Hien Yacouba Sié, the port’s delegation actively contributed to the proceedings and experience-sharing sessions focused on three major issues:

 

• the strategic valorization of port land assets,
• land governance and space optimization,
• and the digitalization of logistics and land management processes.

The Port of Abidjan’s contributions enriched the Annual Council’s deliberations and were incorporated into the final synthesis report adopted during the closing session.

At the conclusion of the proceedings, reports from the technical committees and specialized networks were presented and approved, along with the report of the sessions of the 20th Meeting of Port Directors General. This particularly structuring document defines several priority action areas aimed at strengthening the performance and sustainability of African ports. It notably provides for:

• the establishment of port land master plans over 5-, 10-, 15- or 20-year horizons;
• the creation of port land observatories at national and community levels;
• the integration of advanced digital tools (GIS, digital twins, big data, artificial intelligence);
• the development of logistics and industrial-port zones connected to corridors and dry ports;
• and the strengthening of port staff capacities in land governance, sustainability and energy transition.

These orientations reflect the determination of PMAWCA member ports to move from simple land occupancy management to a genuine strategy for economic and environmental value creation.

In closing the proceedings, Mr. Jean-Marie Koffi praised the success of this 45th edition and announced that the 46th Annual Council will be held in 2026 in Equatorial Guinea, hosted by the ports of Bata and Malabo.

The ceremony concluded with a gala dinner hosted by the Port Pointe-Noire Port Authority, symbolizing fraternity and cooperation among PMAWCA member ports.