By Mercy Gadia Adi
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has unveiled his key priorities for advancing port development across Africa, following his inauguration as Vice President (Africa) of the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH).
Speaking shortly after his inauguration at the World Ports Conference themed “Reinvention and Prosperity in Turbulent Times” held in Kobe City, Japan, Dantsoho said his focus would centre on effective policy implementation, enhanced collaboration, strengthened cooperation, and improved trade facilitation within Africa’s port sector.
He noted that African ports, despite their critical role in global trade, continue to grapple with challenges such as infrastructure deficits, policy inconsistency, and limited technological adoption.
According to him, unified action among African port authorities and stakeholders to tackle these challenges would be central to his leadership agenda at the IAPH.
“This responsibility has fired up my resolve more than ever before to be the vanguard of galvanising national and regional policy action steps geared towards institutionalising ports’ eco-friendliness in line with the dictates of IAPH’s World Ports Sustainability Program,” Dantsoho stated.
He added that his administration would prioritise “the deployment of port innovativeness to capture tangible, sustainable investment returns in high-risk environments,” describing it as a global necessity that requires unity among IAPH members.
The NPA boss further pledged to champion the full automation of African ports as a strategic tool for eliminating trade barriers and enhancing operational efficiency.
“I intend to deploy my current role as President of the Pan-African Association for Port Cooperation (PAPC) to more intentionally promote collaboration and cooperation,” he said.
“Cognisant of the catalytic role of automation as the linchpin of ports’ efficiency and sustainability, I intend to infuse greater action behind the necessity of full automation of African ports as the most veritable tool for the elimination of barriers to trade,” he concluded.