Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Hadiza Bala Usman, has reiterated the agency’s commitment to human capacity development in its drive towards achieving an efficient port system.
Usman stated this in Lagos on Thursday at the certificate award ceremony of Nigeria’s Cycle 2 of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) TrainForTrade port training programme.
She explained that the TrainForTrade pot training programme for port communities of developing countries was formulated as a vehicle to facilitate the integration of developing countries to the globalized world economies in line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.
The programme organised in collaboration with Dublin Port Company and Irish Aid, she said was designed to improve the technical and managerial competencies of middle managers to implement the complex decisions of senior management in an evolving port environment.
According to her, the training is a vital tool for the development of the skills of human resources in the maritime sector.
“The choice of the port communities as UNCTAD’s priority target is premised on the dynamic impact of the maritime sector on the volume and conditions of trade and the economic development capacity of countries.
“I am particularly gratified that UNCTAD Port Management Programme is part of the success story of my administration, having come on board at the conclusion of Cycle 1 and seen to the successful roll of Cycle 2. I am they proud that in the pilot phase of Cycle 1, participants recorded a success rate of 90 percent and Cycle 2 was expanded to include our esteemed stakeholders, upon whose collaboration and complementarities, the efficiency of the port system is dependent.
“Let me use this opportunity to reiterate my administration’s commitment to entrenching the programme and pledge to reward excellent performers. As the UNCTAD Port Management Programme is designed for the greater benefit of the port community, NPA shall continue to play its pivotal role of human capacity development in the industry.
“For the sustenance of the programme and greater application of local experience to the course modules, the Steering Committee will continue to explore the utilization of industry specialists for the delivery of relevant classroom courses in line with the UNCTAD manual.” Usman, who was represented by the General Manager, Engineering, Engr. Rufai Mohammed, said.
Earlier, the General Manager, Human Resources, NPA and also Chairman Steering Committee, Yahaya Gana Bukar, while congratulating the successful candidates of the Cycle 2 programme drawn from various organizations in the port community, assured that human capacity development for the Nigerian Maritime industry will be sustained.
“The unquantifiable gains of this development are already becoming evident and with greater participation of port community members in this scheme of shared knowledge, we envisage a growing synergy in the Nigerian port industry, which will ultimately lead to the realization of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal through UNCTAD’s TrainForTrade programme,” he said.
Chief Human Resources Development Section, TrainForTrade, UNCTAD, Mark Assaf, congratulated the participants and urge them to apply the training in their various capacities.
Highlight of the occasion was the presentation of certificates to the successful participants.