Ports, a question of sovereignty for the African continent

The round table was moderated by the Gabonese journalist Naike Mba Ndong, with the participation of Abdoulaye Mamadou Ba, President of the Nouadhibou Free Zone Authority (Mauritania); Joris Albert Thys, Director of the Autonomous Port of Cotonou (Benin); Bernard Serge César Bouya, Deputy Director of the Autonomous Port of Pointe Noire (Republic of Congo); Yassir Yacoubi, Director of Transport and Infrastructures of SGTM Morocco; Nicolás Andión, Head of the Business Development Department of the Port of Algeciras; and Jean René Mva, of the Autonomous Port of Douala (Cameroon).

As the moderator pointed out in her introduction, the development of a country or continent is impossible without the development of infrastructures.

The head of the Nouadhibou Free Zone explained that it was created in 2013 in an area in the north of Mauritania, which offers many possibilities for investors, with a one-stop shop and facilities for land in industrial and tourist areas.

This area also offers the possibility of repatriating profits and enjoying tax benefits for up to 15 years. It is an extremely active zone, in a country like Mauritania, where fishing is one of the main economic sectors, thanks to its 720 kilometres of coastline.

For his part, Joris Albert Thys pointed out the particular form of management of the Port of Cotonou, which since 2018 has been managed from the port authority of Bruges and Antwerp, as the Government of Benin considers its port to be very important for the country's economy and decided that it was necessary to undertake these changes not only from within.

This management has modernised and digitalised the port, to cope with its needs. According to Thys, the objective is to form a team to take over the autonomous management within four or five years.

Bernard Serge César Bouya, director of the Autonomous Port of Pointe Noire, underlined that this is the only deep water seaport in Cameroon, serving a fairly large area comprising not only the country itself, but also the Central African Republic and part of Angola, and is very important for the process of economic integration of the countries of Central Africa. Ninety per cent of the country's imports and exports pass through it.

Today, it has infrastructures adapted to the needs of its customers, allowing it to receive large ships of more than 300 metres. "For the last 10 years we have registered a continuous growth in the number of containers passing through each year, and more than 80% of the goods are raw materials", he pointed out.

Representing the Port of Algeciras, Nicolás Andión defined it as "an African port, because we are 14 km from Africa, closer than Madrid. We know African behaviour thanks to our cooperation with them, which has been, is and will be fundamental".

According to Andión, the Port of Algeciras is among the five largest ports in Europe: "we are a very diversified port, with containers, liquid cargo, passenger ships... With Morocco we have an important cooperation activity. The Strait of Gibraltar is a good example of the cooperation between Spain and Morocco. In addition, more than six million people pass through our port every year, bound for Africa, as well as one and a half million cars and 450,000 lorries a year. We are very proud to be located in this strategic area: the Strait of Gibraltar is the second busiest maritime route in the world. For us, Africa is essential and very important.

Finally, Jean René Mva, from the port of Douala (Cameroon), informed the audience of the process of enlargement and modernisation of this port, with a development project which foresees an extension towards a nearby island (50 km). Investment will be made to modernise the infrastructures and to create a living space for the promotion of the local economy.

"In terms of innovation and economic performance, the Port of Douala has been ranked 13th in Africa, up from 30th last year. There are many reforms pending at the port, including the legislative reform that will allow the transfer to private management," he explained.

As the speakers at this round table concluded, the development of all these infrastructures can only go ahead with spontaneous and structured investors.