Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
More than 100 participants from Togo institutions, beneficiary ports in West and Central Africa, regional organisations, technical partners and the private sector met for two days in Lomé for the seminar to launch the SCOPE Africa regional project “Securing Corridors, Ports and Exchanges in Western and Central Africa”, in the presence of H.E. the Minister Counsellor Stanislas BABA, Secretary-General of the Togolese Government. This was contained in a statement signed by Modestus Chukwulaka, Press and Information Officer, Delegation of the European Union to Nigeria, and ECOWAS.
Financed by the European Union with €12 million for a duration of four years, implemented by Expertise France and Enabel, SCOPE Africa is a major step in strengthening the safety, security and performance of the beneficiary ports.
The beneficiary ports, which are all part of the land and sea corridors defined as priorities by the African Union, regional organisations and the European Union’s Global Gateway strategy, are as follows: Lomé in Togo; Douala and Kribi in Cameroon; Praia in Cape Verde; Pointe-Noire in the Republic of Congo; Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire; Libreville in Gabon; Monrovia in Liberia; Lagos in Nigeria; 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, while 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;
Boosting regional cooperation;
Consolidation of regional platforms.
Among the highlights of the seminar, 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.
The seminar was also marked by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between SCOPE Africa and the Regional Maritime University of Accra, strengthening cooperation in the training and professionalisation of 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 the safety, security, resilience and performance of beneficiary ports, thereby enhancing the competitiveness and sustainability of maritime and land corridors in West and Central Africa.
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