Yemisi Izuora
Nigeria’s leading transport and logistics experts will gather for the historic maiden edition of Multimodal West Africa 2017 (MMWA) this March in Lagos to rob minds on how to grow the sectors.
Most of the industry stakeholders are excited about the Exhibition as they believe it will adequately reposition the Transportation and Logistics sector, which used to be noted for its huge contribution to the nation’s economy but has struggled to retain its position as a result of economic downturn.
As part of the commitment by Clarion Event West Africa, the organisers of the event, to deliver value and reinforce the essence of the exhibition as one with capacity to foster economic development especially at such a crucial time in the country; MMWA will run concurrently with the very successful Nigeria Manufacturing Equipment Expo (NME) and the Nigerian Raw Material Expo (NIRAM) at the Landmark Expo Centre.
The Exhibition which has the Nigeria Ports Authority as Event Patron will also witness strategic discourse sessions which will be delivered by key industry experts.
These include Hassan Bello, Esq, The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers Council who will speak on “Integrating Port Capacity with Inland Access”; Hajia Aisha Ali Ibrahim, FCILT,FNIS, Port Manager, Nigerian Ports Authority who will discuss, “Woman in Logistics and Transport” and Mr. Alban Igwe, FCILT, Deputy National President, Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transportation will talk on “Towards a Global logistics hub in West Africa.
Other speakers are Mr. Gabriel Aghunor, General Manager, Gadol Nigeria, who will talk about “Dealing with Large Container Vessels”; Mr. Olumide Adesoun and Mr. Suleiman Ibrahim of PWC will both discuss “The Challenges and Opportunities of African Ports”
Others are Mr. Francis Ehiguese, FCILT, Member, Governing Council, Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport who speaks on “Building Capacity for Transport Network Integration”; Mr. Babatunde Omolabi, Warehouse Manager, Guinness Nigeria will be speaking on, “Warehouse Management and Best Practices” while Dr. Obiora E. Madu, Chief Facilitator/CEO, Multimix Academy, Nigeria will address the topic, “The importance of Data, Logistics and Competitiveness”.
Speaking on the Exhibition, Captain Samuel Olarewaju, (FICS), Chairman, Nigeria Chapter of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers advised all stakeholders/participants to make the best of the huge opportunities Multimodal West Africa presents; as it is capable of improving transport and logistics business’ contribution to the subregion’s economic development.
He reiterated the need for synergy in the activities of the port & terminal operators, shipping lines, freight forwarders and other stakeholders, which he believes can be achieved during the 3-day event.
Dele Alimi, Managing Director, Clarion Events West Africa revealed that the Multimodal West Africa Exhibition and Conference has been designed and targeted to engage all major stakeholders in the industry from across all the sub-sectors and the value chain under one roof with a view to helping review the sector and proffer lasting solution to the various challenges in the sector.
According to him, Clarion Events is providing a platform for players in both public and private sectors to exchange notes and ideas and design solutions that will be mutually beneficial and help move the sector forward and ultimately impact positively in Nigeria’s quest for sustainable transport and logistics sector.