Dantsoho Urges African Nations to Harness Marine Potential for Prosperity

BY GBOGBOWA GBOWA

President of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho has called on African countries to convert their vast marine comparative advantages into tangible economic gains.

Speaking at the PMAWCA Boards of Directors and Ports Statisticians Network Meetings, Dantsoho who doubles as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) emphasized that the future sustainability of Africa depends largely on the vitality of its seaports.

“The urgency has never been greater,” Dantsoho declared, citing the strategic alignment between African ports and the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He called for greater regional cooperation, noting that nations across West and Central Africa are not only connected by waterways but also by shared opportunities and challenges.

“The need to translate our marine comparative advantages into opportunities for the collective prosperity of our respective countries has never been more pressing than it is now.

“We must not lose sight of the fact that the demonstrated global leadership of ports in the contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), shows that the sustainability of the world especially Africa, rests heavily on the sustainability of our Ports.

“As I stated last week in my engagement with the PMAWCA Women Network at the NPA headquarters in Lagos, apart from being linked by water, countries in West and Central Africa are linked by challenges and opportunities. With the increasing realization of the leverage that economic cooperation confers in the international arena, we will be doing great disservice to ourselves if we fail to maximize this unity through intensified collaboration of our ports.”

Power of Data and Collaboration

Dantsoho underscored the importance of data-driven decision-making in port management. He lauded the Statisticians Network as a model for regional synergy, pledging his administration’s commitment to expand training across member ports and deepen cooperation.

“Coming together with the Statisticians Network, this meeting presents a smart model for regional synergy and partnership, which this administration intends to champion, especially given that data remains the major driver of effective decision making in Port Management.”

Nigeria’s Commitment to Marine Development

Commending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for establishing the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, Dantsoho said the move has reinvigorated sectoral innovation and talent development.

He highlighted Nigeria’s accelerating push towards port modernization, automation, and implementation of the Port Community System (PCS) and National Single Window (NSW).

“With the visionary creation of the new Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy which has re-energized our resolve to invest more in sector-specific talent development order to harness more ideas from operational think tanks such as the PMAWCA.

“The administration of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has made the implementation of our audacious plans easier with the visionary creation of the new Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy which has re-energized our resolve to invest more in sector-specific talent development order to harness more ideas from operational think tanks such as the PMAWCA”, he said.

Towards a Thriving Continental Trade Bloc

Reaffirming Nigeria’s pledge to foster regional unity, Dantsoho spotlighted the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) as a promising framework to eliminate trade barriers and generate wealth. He expressed confidence that PMAWCA’s strategic alliances will help usher in a new era of economic prosperity across the sub-region.

“Statisticians Network whose capacity we have a renewed commitment to deepen through expanded training opportunities across member ports. The modernization of our ports and full automation of our processes through the Port Community System (PCS) and its corollary, the National Single Window (NSW) which is gaining momentum must be accompanied by strengthened economic cohesion among PMAWCA members, and I will like to register Nigeria’s unwavering commitment to achieving this as soon as possible.

“The specific objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) which includes the progressive elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade in goods, liberalization of trade in services and cooperation amongst others is pregnant with a lot of opportunities for wealth creation and prosperity, which I am convinced that our partnership and holding of hands under the umbrella PMAWCA will equip us to safely midwife for the benefit of our respective national economies with domino effect on the economy of the sub-region.”

Looking Ahead

As PMAWCA directors reviewed the outcomes of 2024 and deliberated on future strategies, Dantsoho’s rallying cry for maritime cohesion set the tone for a transformative chapter in Africa’s port development narrative.