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By Kenneth Jukpor
As part of efforts to expand its drive to attain safety and best practices at Nigerian ports, Confluence Logistics and Transport Consults Limited (CLTC) has organized recent training programmes that provided a platform for synergy as port operators public and private sectors attended.
The learning session which delivers a special ambience with port operators from various backgrounds learning about safety and the impact of their respective activities on the ports and consequent challenges and accidents.
While the maiden edition of the training few months ago was dominated by Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) personnel, SIFAX, owner of Ports and Cargo Handling Terminal, EKO SUPPORT, among other port operators were top participants as their Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) and operations staff were beneficiaries of the training which held last week at the CLTC training centre in Apapa.
Speaking with our correspondent, the Founder of CLTC, Hajia Aisha Ali-Ibrahim stressed that the core objective of the learning platform is to get crucial port operators to understand why and how to operate in a manner that prioritizes safety and meets global best practices at the ports.
The training platform availed operators a rare privilege for participants to see safety issues from the prism of the regulators while comparing the practices at Nigerian ports to those in more developed countries in a bid to learn global best practices.
Ali-Ibrahim said, “Our training is unique because it brings together all stakeholders in a learning environment. Your organization might provide training as well, but it is tailored to suit your operations. In this environment, you learn about the impact of your activities and operations on other stakeholders. This way, you can better understand and appreciate certain best practices. This isn’t a meeting for arguments or debates. What we do here is to deliver best practice.”
At the end of the training programme, the CLTC Founder charged the participants not to go back to continue their normal approach to their work, admonishing them to apply the new knowledge they have acquired.
“Now that you have acquired knowledge from experts, you must put this knowledge to use. Don’t bother if you’re the only one doing things the right way in your department because one person can make the difference,” she said.
According to her, some of the unpleasant incidents and accidents observed at ports were results of negligence from just one official in the port terminal.
“Some of you are HSE officers and others are in operations, these are the key people we wanted to reach to drive efficiency and safe practice at the ports. When we decided to commence this training on safety, we focused on operations because it’s the core area of the ports. I was in operations at NPA and most of the trainers were also in operations. So, they have the experience and qualifications on these issues,” Ali-Ibrahim added.
One of the participants, Mrs Uche Amaechi asserted that the training has given her vital information she has been desperately searching for in the past six months.
Her words: “I want to appreciate the Founder of the organization and the top facilitators who are truly experts. I really can’t explain how grateful I am for this learning experience. I’m a Health and Safety specialist with 20 years experience but I joined the marine industry six months ago and I’ve been looking out for the necessary training to bring me up to speed with the port environment. This training has given me what I have been looking for and helped me better understand the sector having worked previously in the oil and gas sector.”
Another participant, Mr. Godwin from HSE Department in SIFAX expressed satisfaction with the training and thanked the organizers on behalf of fellow participants.
“The training was good and it was indeed a professional one. It was an eye-opener. There are several things we learnt and we can assure you that we are going to take this information and practice to SIFAX so that we attain safe practice,” he said.
The maiden edition of CLTC’s training on safety in August 2021 was attended by officials from ENL Consortium, Apapa Bulk Terminal Limited (ABTL), West Atlantic Ports Services (WAPS) Limited, and NPA personnel from Onne, Tin Can Island Port and Lagos Port Complex.
