The European Union (EU) and its partners have committed the sum of 12 million euros to strengthen safety, security and performance of sea ports in Lagos and other West and Central African countries.
According to a statement by Mr Modestus Chukwulaka, the Press and Information Officer of the EU bloc to Nigeria and ECOWAS on Friday, this is under the Securing Corridors, Ports and Exchanges (SCOPE) Africa project.
Chukwulaka said that more than 100 participants from Togo institutions, beneficiary ports in West and Central Africa, regional organisations, technical partners and the private sector met two days in Lomé for a seminar to launch.
According to him, the project is financed by the EU to the tune of 12 million euros for a duration of four years, and implemented by Expertise France and Enabel.
He said that SCOPE Africa is a major step in strengthening the safety, security and performance of the beneficiary ports.
Chukwulaka said that the beneficiary ports were all part of the land and sea corridors defined as priorities by the African Union, regional organisations and the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, are as follows.
He listed them to include Lomé in Togo; Douala and Kribi in Cameroon; Praia in Cape Verde and Pointe-Noire in the Republic of Congo.
Others are Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire; Libreville in Gabon; Monrovia in Liberia; Lagos in Nigeria and Dakar in Senegal.
“The kick-off seminar, organised into general sessions, thematic panels and debates around practical examples, enabled the various stakeholders to understand the operationalisation of the project’s structuring axes.
“We are taking into account the specific requirements and needs of each partner port: Strengthening compliance with international standards; improved response and crisis management capacities; Professionalisation and training of port stakeholders.
“The delegations took part in a technical visit to the Autonomous Port of Lomé, which made it possible to illustrate in concrete terms the aspects of port safety and security discussed during the exchanges,” he said.
“He said that the seminar was also marked by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between SCOPE Africa and the Regional Maritime University of Accra.
According to him, the MoU was aimed at strengthening cooperation in the training and professionalisation of the maritime and port sector.
“At the end of the event, participants reaffirmed their interest and commitment to work jointly within the framework of SCOPE Africa, with the aim of increasing safety at the ports,’ ‘ he said.
