IAPH places Africa’s ports on world stage
By Fredrick Wright
The International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH), is set to place Africa’s seaports on world stage as the body examines how to bridge the gap between highly sophisticated ports developed in the region in the last decade and limited hinterland connectivity, especially to the continent’s 16 landlocked countries.
IAPH Regional VP for Africa, and Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman, said the group is organizing two webinars in the run up to IAPHWorldPorts Conference.
According to her, this month’s online debate is if #ports can leverage #diversity to propel #innovation holding on March 18, 2021, while the second forum would hold on March 25, 2021 focusing on developing sustainable African ports.
Bala Uzman would lead virtual gathering of African ports on 25 March with Chairman, Ports Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) Michael Luguje, while IAPH/IHS Markit would host President of Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA), Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou on 18 March webinar on diversity.
The IAPH 2021 World Ports Conference with the theme: “Changing of the Guard”, will be combining live, scheduled and recorded C-level keynotes, debates, demonstrations and one-on-one interviews with the players shaping the new, complex environment in which ports operate.
As a build up to the event, three IHS Markit Webinars touching three of #IAPH2021’s themes will take place between now and 21 June. The first of these is entitled “Can Ports Leverage Diversity to Propel Innovation?” with President of WISTA International Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou joining IAPH’s new Chair of the Women’s Forum Flor Pitty, DP World’s People Director for Europe and Russia Bhavini Bikabhai and Allyens’ Managing Partner Taha Riani to debate whether recent imaginative senior appointments seen more recently at some port authorities marks the end of the beginning of a real change in port management diversity.
In a recent poll published in the March-April edition of IAPH’s flagship membership magazine Ports and Harbors, 65% of the readership responding to the diversity survey favoured introducing quotas on port management teams. An in-depth survey of the maritime industry conducted by the Diversity Study Group (DSG) in 2021 cited by its founder and CEO of Halycon Heidi Heseltine quoted the following figures in the same magazine: 61% of the survey population is male, 37% female. Males account for 82% of director level or heads of department roles, females 17%. All roles from the top level down to team leader and senior manager are dominated by males at around 70%. In regard to ethnic backgrounds, she found that 46% of the DSG survey population is white, 37% Asian, 7% Hispanic/Latino, and 1% is black. About 83% of C-suite roles are held by white males and 66% of director level or head of department roles are also held by white males.
Ports & Harbors Editor, Ines Nastali, who will moderate the panel, surmised in her editorial comment: “With the current age and gender profile, maritime risks that the human element becomes obsolete. This is not due to the threat from autonomous technology, seen as a sword of Damocles poised to steal jobs, but choices to exclude talent despite warnings of staff shortages.”
