President Muhammadu Buhari will on Monday, September 17, 2018, declare open, the first International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) African Regional Conference at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

The opening ceremony will be under the chairmanship of former head of state Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (Rtd.).

Addressing a press conference in Lagos on Friday, Vice President (Africa Region) of the Association and Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms Hadiza Bala Usman, explained that the conference with the theme: African Ports and Hinterland Connectivity, would draw maritime stakeholders from within and outside Africa.

She informed that upon her election as VP, Africa Region, she saw the need for industry players on the continent to synergise and work towards shared growth and prosperity. This she noted brought about the idea of the conference, which is geared towards improving the capacity of African ports for efficiency and competitiveness.

Bala Usman pointed out that the theme of the conference, “Is in recognition of the importance of the ease of cargo transference from ports locations to various destinations of use. For ports in the region to attain their potentials, the deployment of multimodal means of transportation which ensures that cargoes are moved without delay and to the satisfaction of clients has become a compulsory factor”.

She appreciated what she described as the unflinching support of President Buhari and the Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, is expected to generate cutting-edge ideas that would aid policy formulation and implementation to achieve the all-important objective of customer satisfaction through excellent service delivery at the ports.

While thanking lead sponsors for the event which include: Integrated Logistics Services (INTELS), Dangote Group, African Circle, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Bonny Channel Company (BCC), DISN, and Depasa Group of Companies, STARZ, INDORAMA, PTML, Lekki Port, NEM Insurance, and DUTUM, Bala Usman said: “At the end of the conference, we are hopeful that we would be able to produce a document which can form the basis of policies that would guide our governments in the very important task of improving service delivery at African Ports.”