Mission report: to service a workshop and present to participate of a national level workshop on port commercialization: a pyramid of interrelated challenges organized jointly by ECA an Port Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa (PAMESA) in collaboration with ECLAC

Abstract

To address the underperformance of African ports due to outdated state-controlled models prioritizing socio-political over commercial objectives, the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) collaborated with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) to promote port commercialization and privatization. Drawing on ECLAC’s prior experience with ESCAP in Southeast Asia, ECA introduced this initiative at the 1996 Port Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa (PMAESA) meeting in Khartoum. Following this, the ports of Mombasa, Dar-es-Salaam, and Maputo agreed to host national workshops. In Kenya, prolonged consultations with government authorities delayed approval until late 1997. Preparations between ECA and the Kenya Ports Authority culminated in a workshop at Mombasa’s Bandari College from April 28–30, 1998. The attached report (Annex I) and agenda (Appendix a) outline the event’s structure and outcomes, reflecting collaborative efforts to modernize African ports through enhanced commercialization strategies.