APM Terminals Apapa, at the weekend, hosted a capacity building workshop for public relations managers and journalists covering the Nigerian maritime sector.
The workshop was facilitated by prominent ethics, media and communications scholar, Dr. Ngozi Okpara of the School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos and leading maritime scholar, Dr. Frank Ojadi of the prestigious Lagos Business School.
“We see this workshop as part of our corporate social responsibility. It is important that those who manage information in and about the maritime industry are brought to speed on industry trends.
“A key aspect of the workshop was the ethical dimension to public relations and journalism practices and I am happy that this issue was well-discussed and I believe it will impact positively on the development of the maritime industry,” Head of Government, Stakeholder Relations and Communications of APM Terminals, Apapa, Austin Fischer, said.
Fischer, who delivered a paper on the “Structure and Dynamics of Port Operations in Nigeria”, said APM Terminals remains committed to infrastructural development through investments in port development, railway and inland container facilities in Nigeria.
He said the company has fully developed and modernised its terminal at the Lagos Port Complex, Apapa through an investment of over $350 million (N126 billion).
The investment, according to him, covers the development of container handling and stacking yards, container inspection facilities, sophisticated and ultramodern cargo handling equipment, information technology, automation, human resources, a world class training centre, simulator and rail sidings which is now handy given the gridlock on the port roads. He said APM Terminals recently commenced work on the provision of modern cold chain transportation alternatives for farmers in the agricultural centres of northern Nigeria to bring fresh produce intact and unspoiled to market centres in Lagos.
“An estimated 15 million metric tons of Nigerian-grown perishable goods, including onions, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, okra, ginger and carrots, are lost annually due to poor logistics infrastructure and high transportation costs through spoilage and product damage.
“Ongoing investments by APM Terminals in cold chain transportation is demonstrating ways to reduce post-harvest losses, and extend the shelf life of fresh produce to local consumption and export,” he said.