Tinubu urges African leaders to prioritise blue economy

President Bola Tinubu has urged African leaders to prioritise the Blue Economy, stating that the blue economy holds the key to Africa’s prosperity.

Speaking at the 43rd Annual Council of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) conference in Lagos, the President, who was represented by the Minister of Marine and Blue economy, Adegboyega Oyetola underlined the critical role of the Blue Economy and port development in the collective prosperity of African nations, emphasising that the sector holds immense potential for the West and Central Africa when the ports are fully automated.

The meeting, hosted by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), had the theme: ‘The Role of Ports in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).’

Addressing delegates from 24 African countries at the venue, the President added that Africa’s Blue Economy presents the continent with untapped opportunities for job creation, poverty eradication, growth and development.

Tinubu also urged African leaders to create the Ministry of Blue Economy in their various countries and tap the opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to boost the economy of the region.

The President also underlined the significance of technological advancement in the sector.

He emphasized that automation is crucial for maintaining the competitiveness of ports in the global maritime industry. He highlighted the importance of the Port Community System, which serves as a precursor to the implementation of the National Single Window, as essential tools in streamlining port operations.

He noted that the opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) are substantial, while urging African leaders to work together to eliminate trade barriers and harness these opportunities for the collective prosperity of respective national economies.

His words: “It is with great pleasure and honour that I welcome all the delegates to this historic meeting. We in Nigeria are proud and excited to be members of the Port Management Association of West & Central Africa and the opportunity to host this 43rd Council meeting at a time which coincides with our renewed resolve to transform our maritime potentials to actualities is heartwarming.”

The theme of the conference, Tinubu said, was most appropriate “at this period the continent is eager and determined to reposition the ports for competitiveness.”

He praised the PMAWCA for its role in promoting ports’ cooperation and expressed the Nigerian Ports Authority’s commitment to partnership and support for policies and action steps that will be discussed during the conference.

The President said further that he believed strongly that the cream of industry experts that were assembled by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), to do justice to the critical subject would “provide the needed insight through knowledge sharing for us policy makers in the maritime sector to work assiduously towards the realisation of our ports potential.

“As you are aware PMAWCA is an organisation whose mission is to contribute to improvement in the quality of port activities and services of its members in order to promote sustainable socio-economic development of their respective countries and the sub-region.”

Some of the strategies the Association employs to achieve its mission, the President said, “includes cooperation and knowledge sharing on best practices in port management and operations in order to deliver optimum value to ship and cargo owners.

The group, he said, is “also leveraging on members’ expertise through technical committees and programmes that create platforms focused on resolving complex port and maritime industry concerns and building greater efficiency and sustainability for ports in the sub-region especially as the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement to which Nigeria is signatory gains traction.

In his opening speech, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Mohammed Bello Koko echoed President Tinubu’s call for regional cooperation in the maritime sector.

According to him, “The opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) are substantial. We must work together to eliminate trade barriers and harness these opportunities.

The NPA chief gave kudos to PMAWCA for its role in promoting ports’ cooperation and expressed the Nigerian Ports Authority’s commitment to partnership and support for policies and action steps that will be discussed during the conference.

Present at the event were the Comptroller-General of Customs Service (NCS) Adewale Adeniyi, Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Bashir Jamoh, the secretary, national action committee on AfCFTA, Olusegun Awolowo, members of the National Assembly and other senior government officials.