The goal should be to expand implementation of the landlord port model and so pave the way for private sector investment.
In most of Africa’s ports, a state enterprise owns the infrastructure and performs all port operations—a model known as the public-service port. This is beginning to change. Some port agencies are being reestablished as limited liability commercial companies. Nigeria and Ghana have moved toward the so-called landlord port model, in which the state’s role is limited to owning and maintaining port infrastructure, while operations are provided by the private sector. Several francophone countries use a hybrid model, called amodiation, whereby the port authority rents space to privately owned loading companies that are hired by shipping lines to handle cargo.
Since 2000, several of the continent’s large container terminals have been concessioned to the major international operators. Higher handling rates are generally being achieved at ports where private operators have been in residence for some time (see figure). But the involvement of the efficient private global operators is still low. In 2007, the top 20 global terminal operators handled no more than 16 percent of throughput in Africa, compared with about 70 percent in other regions of the world.
Average moves per hour by category of port