TheCable

Hadiza Bala Usman, managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), has emerged vice-president (Africa Region) of the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH).

Based in Tokyo, Japan, IAPH is a global trade association for seaports.

Bala Usman joins five other vice-presidents representing America, Central & South, America, North, Asia, South/West, East & Middle East, Asia, South East & Oceania and Europe on the governing body of the 62-year-old organisation.

Santiago Garcia Milà, president of the association, is from Spain.

Usman is expected to take office immediately and would remain in office until the 2019 annual general meeting of the association in Guangzhou, China.

Bala Usman expressed delight over the election, saying it is in recognition of Nigeria’s strategic importance in the global maritime map and efforts of the NPA to reposition to the sector.

She pledged to justify the confidence of members of the association and make Nigeria proud in the period of her service at the IAPH.

Founded in 1955, the IAPH is a non-governmental organisation which represents the interest of ports across the world.

It has a membership of over 200 ports and national ports representative bodies and recently acquired a consultative states with five United Nations agencies including: the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC); United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO); United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD); United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); the International Labour Office (ILO) and the World Customs Organization (WCO).