The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, is set to declare open the Board of Directors meeting of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa as the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA hosts maritime leaders and port administrators from across the region in Lagos.
The three-day high-level gathering, scheduled for May 18–20, 2026, will bring together stakeholders from West and Central Africa to deliberate on the future of ports and regional maritime development.
The meeting, themed “Ports of the Future: Combining Logistical Resilience with Inclusive Community Development,” will focus on strengthening port infrastructure, building resilient logistics systems, deepening regional collaboration, and ensuring that port expansion translates into socio-economic benefits for host communities.
Ahead of the meeting, Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority and President of PMAWCA, Abubakar Dantsoho, described the gathering as a strategic platform for shaping the future of ports across the sub-region.
According to him, the meeting offers maritime leaders and stakeholders an opportunity to reaffirm the critical role of ports in driving trade, economic integration, and sustainable development.
“The meeting affords us all, as Chief Executives and stakeholders, the platform to reiterate the pivotal role that ports play in shaping the future of humanity,” Dantsoho said.
He noted that ports remain gateways to prosperity, linking nations to global markets while serving as engines of economic growth and regional cooperation.
“With ports serving as gateways of prosperity and linking nations to the international community, their demonstrated leadership in advancing sustainable development goals cannot be overemphasized,” he added.
Dantsoho further stressed that the resilience and efficiency of ports remain central to the sustainability of the global economy, particularly within the West and Central African maritime corridor.
He assured participants of a conducive environment for meaningful engagements capable of producing policy directions and innovative ideas to strengthen maritime cooperation and regional development.
The meeting is expected to feature discussions on port security, infrastructure development, trade connectivity, and strategies for building future-ready ports amid evolving global economic and logistics challenges.
Deliberations will also include reviews of PMAWCA midterm committee activities and broader conversations on enhancing collaboration among member ports.
The event further reinforces Nigeria’s growing leadership within the regional maritime sector following the country’s successful hosting of the 43rd PMAWCA Annual Council and Managing Directors’ Roundtable in 2023.
