Funso OLOJO, Editor

Chairman of SIFAX Group, Dr Taiwo Afolabi, has called for a fundamental shift in the global approach to conflict prevention, urging world leaders to make economic investment, infrastructure development and job creation central to efforts to build lasting peace.

Afolabi said preventing conflicts should not be limited to diplomatic interventions after crises had erupted, but must also address the economic and social conditions that make communities and nations vulnerable to instability.

He made the call in New York, United States, while speaking at the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Global Executive Roundtable on Diplomacy, Multilateralism and Conflict Resolution.

According to him, the growing combination of geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty, climate pressures, inequality and declining public confidence in institutions requires a coordinated global response that combines preventive diplomacy with sustainable development and economic inclusion.

He argued that peace and economic prosperity were mutually reinforcing, stressing that investment could create the opportunities and shared interests necessary for more stable societies.

“Peace creates the environment for investment, investment creates opportunity, and opportunity strengthens the foundations of peace,” he said.

Afolabi said the link between peace and development was particularly significant for Africa, where infrastructure deficits, limited access to financing, trade barriers and inadequate economic opportunities continue to constrain development.

He called for an investment-driven approach to Africa’s peacebuilding efforts, with greater attention to transport infrastructure, ports, energy, technology, manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, education and human capital development.

“Africa’s peacebuilding agenda must be accompanied by an investment agenda. We need investment in transport infrastructure, ports, energy, technology, manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, education and human capital,” he said.

The SIFAX Group chairman also called for stronger regional value chains and improved connectivity across African economies, arguing that the successful implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) would require investments extending beyond the signing of trade agreements.

According to him, efficient infrastructure, logistics networks, digital systems, access to finance and sustained political cooperation would be critical to translating AfCFTA into tangible economic opportunities for Africans.

“Trade and connectivity can create shared interests among nations. The success of AfCFTA depends not only on trade agreements but on infrastructure, efficient logistics, digital systems, financing and political cooperation.”

Afolabi further highlighted the role of the private sector in building economic connections that can foster cooperation among communities, businesses and countries.

Drawing from SIFAX Group’s operations spanning maritime, logistics, aviation, financial services, oil and gas and hospitality, he said infrastructure and connectivity should be viewed beyond their commercial value and recognised as instruments of broader economic development and social stability.

He explained that efficient logistics systems could connect producers to markets, manufacturers to consumers and businesses to international value chains while strengthening economic links between countries.

“A functioning logistics system can connect farmers to markets, manufacturers to consumers, businesses to international value chains and countries to one another,” he said.

He added that such economic connections could create shared interests and incentives for cooperation, making infrastructure and investment important components of a comprehensive global peacebuilding strategy.

Afolabi’s intervention places the private sector and economic development at the centre of the wider international conversation on diplomacy, multilateralism and conflict prevention, particularly in developing regions where economic exclusion and infrastructure gaps remain significant challenges.

Gloria Odion Maritme reporter 

High port charges, ageing infrastructure, fragmented digital systems and poor stakeholder attitudes have emerged as major threats to the competitiveness of Nigerian ports, maritime industry stakeholders have warned.

They said the challenges were driving up the cost of cargo handling, delaying vessel and cargo turnaround, weakening the attractiveness of Nigerian ports and potentially diverting cargoes to competing ports in neighbouring countries.

The stakeholders spoke during a panel session at the 4th Maritime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria (MARAN) Maritime Annual Lecture (MAMAL 2026), held at the Nigerian Air Force Events Centre, 1 Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The lecture was themed “Nigerian Ports Modernisation, Charges and the Competitiveness Question.”

Moderating the session, Mr Emmanuel Maigunwa said port competitiveness should not be viewed merely from the perspective of reducing the cost of importing and exporting goods, but also in terms of positioning Nigeria as a major regional trade and transit hub.

He said efficient and competitively priced ports would reduce the burden on businesses and consumers while enabling Nigeria to attract transit cargoes from neighbouring countries and maximise the economic benefits of its strategic maritime location.

Representing the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Mr Willem Inya identified the multiplicity of port charges as a major concern for private-sector operators.

According to him, importers are often confronted with several charges in the course of clearing their containers, while delays frequently lead to additional demurrage and other costs.

He called for the harmonisation and rationalisation of port charges, warning that excessive and multiple charges could undermine the competitiveness of Nigerian businesses.

Also speaking, the Assistant General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Planning, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mr Joseph Adegbite, identified ageing infrastructure as one of the most critical constraints to efficient port operations.

Adegbite said most Nigerian ports, with the exception of the Lekki Deep Sea Port, were more than 50 years old, making large-scale infrastructure renewal imperative to improving productivity and efficiency.

He explained that deteriorating infrastructure limits the deployment of modern cargo-handling equipment, thereby affecting productivity and increasing vessel and cargo dwell time.

“Every inefficiency in port operations ultimately translates into additional costs for port users and consumers,” he said.

Adegbite disclosed that the Federal Government’s port modernisation programme would commence with the Lagos port complex, given the area’s dominant share of Nigeria’s maritime traffic, before extending to ports in the Eastern region.

He, however, stressed that modernisation must not be restricted to physical infrastructure.

According to him, digital integration, renewable energy, Port Community Systems and the implementation of a Maritime Single Window are equally essential to creating an efficient modern port system.

“Port operation is a communal system. It is a community,” he said, stressing the need for all agencies and stakeholders operating within the port environment to be digitally integrated.

Such integration, he explained, would eliminate operational silos, improve information sharing and reduce delays.

Adegbite also identified infrastructure deficiencies at several ports, including the Rivers and Warri ports, while noting that the Onne Port also required significant infrastructure improvements.

Contributing from the floor, the Managing Director of Le Look Bags, Mrs Chinwe Ezenwa, said infrastructure renewal alone would not resolve the problems confronting Nigerian ports.

She argued that the attitude and mindset of port users, operators and other stakeholders must also change if investments in infrastructure were to produce sustainable results.

Ezenwa called for deliberate sensitisation and reorientation of stakeholders to promote responsible use and protection of public infrastructure.

She said she had witnessed instances of vandalism of government infrastructure, warning that substantial investments in port facilities could be undermined if public assets were not properly protected.

She therefore advocated sustained public enlightenment and a renewed value system among port users and operators.

On the implications of high port charges, Captain Ladi Olubowale of the African Ship Owners Association warned that excessive costs could encourage cargo diversion to ports in neighbouring countries.

He said cargoes diverted from Nigerian ports could eventually find their way into the country through land borders, adding that the additional logistics costs would ultimately be passed on to consumers and could worsen inflationary pressures.

Olubowale also linked excessive port charges to the growth of smuggling, arguing that high costs could undermine efforts to formalise trade and expand the Nigerian economy.

He maintained that achieving Nigeria’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy by 2030 would require efficient and competitive ports supported by transparent, harmonised and predictable charges.

The stakeholders consequently called for a coordinated port reform strategy combining infrastructure renewal, digitalisation, transparent and harmonised charges, stakeholder sensitisation and improved operational efficiency.

They stressed that Nigeria’s strategic geographical position and extensive maritime resources would not automatically translate into economic gains unless its ports became efficient, competitive and attractive to cargo owners and regional traders.

The panel discussion was one of the major activities at MAMAL 2026, MARAN’s flagship annual maritime lecture, which brought together policymakers, regulators, industry operators, academics, journalists and other stakeholders to examine the challenges and opportunities surrounding the modernisation and competitiveness of Nigerian ports.

Monday Discourse with Ibrahim Nasiru

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) recently hosted a well-attended stakeholder webinar focusing on the comprehensive transformation and modernization of the Nigerian Flag Registration system.

Amidst the various technical presentations, the core message from the regulatory agency was clear: a bold, unyielding transition toward a fully digitalized, automated ship registry designed to eliminate human bottlenecks.

While the maritime industry must commend the current leadership under Director-General Dr. Dayo Mobereola for prioritizing technological modernization, we must look beyond the glossy PowerPoint presentations and confront the harsh structural realities keeping indigenous shipowners away from our national register.

Automation is an excellent operational tool, but it is not a commercial magic wand.

The fundamental reason Nigerian shipowners aggressively patronize “flags of convenience” in open registries like Panama, Liberia, or the Marshall Islands is not merely the historical speed of registration.

The primary driver is economic survival.

Open registries offer attractive, predictable fiscal frameworks, minimal corporate tax burdens, and a complete absence of the double-customs duties that routinely cripple local operators right here in Nigeria.

If NIMASA truly wants to build a globally competitive flag registry, it must realize that digital speed must be matched by structural fiscal relief.

It is simply not enough to promise a shipowner that they can register a vessel online in 48 hours.

The real question that determines industry compliance is: what is the financial cost of flying the Nigerian flag after that digital registration is complete?

Currently, local shipowners face staggering customs duties on imported vessels, heavy corporate taxes, and an absolute lack of access to single-digit financing.

These financial bottlenecks make indigenous operators instantly uncompetitive against foreign-flagged vessels operating within our own domestic waters.

A digital registry that merely digitizes bureaucratic processes without reducing the underlying operational costs will ultimately fail to attract the required maritime tonnage.

To make this digital transition meaningful, NIMASA must look closely at the implementation of the Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage) Act of 2003 and the Merchant Shipping Act.

The spirit of the Cabotage Act was designed to empower indigenous operators, yet foreign vessels flying foreign flags still dominate our coastal trade.

This is because flying the Nigerian flag carries a financial penalty rather than a commercial advantage.

Therefore, NIMASA must urgently step outside the traditional boundaries of its maritime regulatory mandate and actively collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Nigeria Customs Service.

The agency must champion concrete fiscal incentives. This includes negotiating comprehensive tax holidays for newly registered indigenous vessels and securing a permanent waiver on customs duties for commercial ships flying the Nigerian flag.

Furthermore, the long-overdue disbursement of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) must be strategically integrated into this new digital dawn.

A shipowner who willingly registers their vessel under the Nigerian flag should automatically qualify for priority financial evaluation and access to these single-digit intervention funds to expand their fleet.

The maritime industry does not just want a registry that is easy to access online; we want a registry that makes economic sense to maintain.

The real success of NIMASA’s flag reform will not be measured by the number of webinars hosted or the smoothness of its digital portals.

It will be measured by the volume of actual tonnage that returns to the Nigerian flag.

Until NIMASA collaborates with fiscal authorities to put real economic teeth behind its digital promises, the Nigerian flag registry will remain technically advanced but commercially empty.

Ibrahim Nasiru, a public affairs analyst, write from Abuja.