Oritsegbubemi Omatseyin
Lagos — At the ongoing World Ports Conference in Kobe, Japan, port professionals drawn from 64 countries have endorsed the election of the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, as Vice-President of the International Association for Ports & Harbours, IAPH.
Coming on the heels of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approval of the National Policy on Marine & Blue Economy,
Dantsoho’s election as Vice-President of the IAPH is a testament of Nigeria’s growing influence in the comity of Maritime nations.
IAPH is a non-governmental organization headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. In November 1955, some 100 world port leaders gathered in Los Angeles to announce the creation of IAPH. Over the past six decades, IAPH has developed into a global alliance of ports, representing today some 190 ports and 167 port-related businesses in 89 countries as of 6 December 2024. The member ports together handle well over 60% of the world’s sea-borne trade and over 60% of the world’s container traffic.
IAPH aims to be the global trade association of choice for port authorities and operators, representing their interests at regulatory level at the International Maritime Organization, the World Customs Organization, the International Standards Organization and other global alliances such as the Global Maritime Forum and the World Economic Forum.
IAPH has consultative status and works on behalf of ports with additional United Nations bodies such as the UNCTAD (UN Conference on Trade and Development), UNEP (UN Environment Program) and the UN Global Compact.
The World Port Conference, holding at the iconic Hotel Ōkura Kobe, is themed “Reinvention and Prosperity in Turbulent Times”, will bring together port executives, policymakers, and industry leaders from over 89 countries to tackle pressing maritime sector challenges.
Key discussions on energy transition, decarbonization, digitalization, and resilience align with the Nigerian Ports Authority’s commitment to port automation and its recent MoU with APMT to electrify container freight to reduce the carbon emissions footprint.
Dr. Dantsoho will tour Kobe’s port facilities, gaining insights into seismic-resilient infrastructure and smart logistics, which are directly applicable to NPA’s ongoing Port Modernization Programme.
On the sidelines, Dr. Dantsoho is also meeting investors and seeking partnerships to enhance the Authority’s infrastructure and equipment renewal.
