New PMAWCA scribe, Jean Marie Koffi

The Ports Management Association of West and Central Africa PMAWCA has elected a new Secretary General. He is Jean Marie Koffi from the Port of Abidjan, Cote D’voire.

A statement by the Assistant General Manager Corporate and Strategic Communications of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Ibrahim Nasir, said Mr. Jean Marie Koffi defeated two other contestants, Iliyasu Idrisu from the Port of Duala, Cameroon and Semie Pere from the Port of Togo.

The election which saw the participation of 17 voting countries was part of the events marking the just concluded 40th Council Meeting of the association held at in Lome, Togo.

The new Secretary General is to serve for the next four years in Lagos, headquarters of the association.

The General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications, Engr. Adams Jatto, who represented the Managing Director of NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman, congratulated the new Secretary General on his electoral victory and assured him that Nigeria is now his new home and the NPA  his landlord.

She added that NPA will give him all the necessary support to advance the work of PMAWCA and enhance the fortunes of the port industry in the sub-region.

PMAWCA, a sub-regional intergovernmental economic organisation, is a specialised organ of the Maritime Organisation for West and Central Africa MOWCA, with secretariat in Lagos, Nigeria. It is made up of 22 regular member ports and nine associate members including landlocked countries and maritime organisations, all located along the West Coast of the Africa continent stretching from Mauritania to Angola, covering a coast line of about 9,400km on the Atlantic Ocean. It also has observer members located in Europe. These memberships comprise Anglophone, Francophone and Lusophone speaking countries thus, PMAWCA’s official languages are English, French and Portuguese.

The association was established during the historic inaugural assembly of October 1972 in Freetown, Sierra Leone by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa UNECA, which followed the signing of the first statutes by the representatives of nine member ports and the Secretary General of ECA.

Some of the objectives include to contribute towards the improvement, coordination and harmonisation of port and harbour activities, services and infrastructure in the West and Central African sub region so as to increase the effectiveness of their services to ships and other means of transportation; help in relationship with similar port organisations or concerned governments, to strengthen cooperation among member ports, in a manner that will encourage the development of their activities.

Others include establishing and maintaining relationship with transport enterprises, institutions, and associations, governmental or international organisations in order to have a closer look at problems facing the members; and establish a forum for the exchange of ideas among member ports to freely discuss their common problems, so as to contribute to regional integration.