Kenya, Nigeria port chiefs among leaders attending World Port Conference 2025 in Japan.
by Blue Africa News, Lagos, Nairobi and Cape Town, October 8, 2025
Port managers worldwide must embrace digitalisation in a smart and secure manner to strengthen supply chain resilience and ensure that no nation is left behind in port infrastructure development, according to Jens Meier, president of the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) and CEO of the Hamburg Port Authority.
Addressing over 600 delegates during the opening of the World Ports Conference 2025 (7-9 October) in Kobe, Japan, Meier said digitilisation will not only improve efficiency, but also help the industry transition to lower and zero-emission maritime and land-based operations.
Financially sustainability, he noted, is at the centre of growth in the global shipping sector.
“Our conference discussions with the wider global shipping and maritime community centres on how ports can continue to access finance to grow sustainably and prosperously in today’s uncertain times,” he said.
“We believe the key to this is understanding what the development finance sector needs from ports and to jointly work on ensuring that private capital as well as funding and capacity building is available to improve port efficiency and connectivity beyond port gates.”
Asian Development Bank (ADB) president Masato Kanda on his part said ports are more than infrastructure, calling for investment, innovation and cooperation to build sustainable ports.
“Ports are more than infrastructure; they are lifelines for communities and engines of growth,” he said, noting that by “By combining investment, innovation, and cooperation, we can build ports that are resilient to shocks, ready for the energy transition, and central to sustainable development.”
IAPH has been hosting the World Ports Conference annually for 7 decades, uniting global port leaders with their counterparts in shipping, policymaking, financing and technology for discussion on initiatives such as decarbonization, energy transition, risk and resilient management and accelerating digitization amongst others.
This year’s theme is “Reinvention and Prosperity in Turbulent Times,” with Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Managing Director Captain William Ruto and his Nigerian counterpart Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho being among African port managers in attendance.
On the sidelines of the conference, Ruto met with Jens Maier, Maersk’s chief representative for greater China and Northeast Asia, to discuss deepening their strategic partnership.
KPA in an update said Captain Ruto commended Maersk’s ongoing collaboration in training Kenyan seafaring cadets, and called for the program’s expansion, highlighting significant growth in cargo volumes and vessel calls at the Ports of Mombasa, Lamu, and Kisumu, pointing to untapped opportunities within the maritime logistics value chain where Maersk could increase its involvement.
He also engaged with the Secretary General of the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH), Masahiko Furuichi in a separate meeting, where he advocated for enhanced training opportunities to improve skillsets for KPA’s logistics and supply chains personnel.
For Dantsoho, he is holding meetings with investors and seeking partnerships to enhance the Authority’s infrastructure and equipment renewal.
Oliver Ochieng, Blue Africa News