Stakeholders Suggest PPP To Consolidate Port Reforms

Stakeholders in the maritime sector have described the six-year-old port concession programme as a success, and they suggested a closer relationship between the public and private sector in order to open up the sector for foreign direct investment.

They said that Public-Private Partnership (PPP) was crucial to the success of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s on-going transformation agenda at the ports.

Former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mallam Abdul Salam Mohammed, who was at the investiture of patrons and launch of cooperative multipurpose society by the Maritime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria (MARAN) recently said that the port concession programme had achieved a major success for the Nigerian port system.

He said that port concession programme which was initiated in 2005 had been a major success, because it brought about the desired investments to the ports sector.

He also said that more synergy between the public and private sectors would help to consolidate the gains of the six years old port reform.

According to him, the concession programme might not be perfect but it has brought significant improvements to the country’s port system in the last six years.

He said that cooperation between the public and private sectors was highly needed to consolidate the successes already recorded with the concession regime.

“For six years that we have handed over cargo handling operations in the Nigerian port system to private sector, there have been a fundamental change in the way cargo handling operations are performed.

“I will like us at this forum to recognise the fact that the port concession programme in Nigeria has achieved a substantial measure of success. It may not be perfect, because we should not expect perfection in any human endeavour. There are still rooms for improvement,” Mohammed added.

The former NPA boss urged the Nigerian media to recognise the areas where port concession had recorded success and areas where it had failed and bring them to the fore for discussions in order to engender further improvements.

The managing director of the NPA, Mr. Omar Suleiman, said NPA was already working closely with the private sector for it to key into the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s administration.

Suleiman said that the synergy would enable both parties to know their problems and to find common solutions to them.

“It is a great honour for me to receive this award and it is a sign of responsibility for us and more is expected from us. I will try to live up to it and I expect the MARAN members to live up to it also. It is a contract between you and me to see the maritime industry grow and become very strong. This is a synergy between the public and private sectors, because what we are doing now at the ports authority is to work together, support the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. We will try to work with the terminal operators for us to see their problems, while they also see our problems, so that we can grow together,” Suleiman said.

While thanking MARAN for finding him worthy as patron, Executive Vice Chairman/ Chief Executive Officer of the Sifax Group, Dr. Taiwo Afolabi, said that the selection of Suleiman and himself as patrons by journalists covering the maritime industry in the country, was an indication that public private partnership was working in the Nigerian maritime sector.

“It is indeed a great honour to be singled out, amongst many, for my contributions and accomplishments in the maritime sector of this great nation which I feel very passionate about.

“I wish to re-assure you that I will not disappoint in carrying out my roles and responsibilities as a patron of this association,” Afolabi said.

Earlier in his welcome address, MARAN President, Mr. Bolaji Akinola, explained that the investiture of Suleiman and Afolabi as patrons of the association was in line with the provision of the association’s constitution and in line with the vision of uplifting the image and respectability of MARAN.

—Esther Komolafe