Stakeholders Rally for Cleaner, Safer Ports at 2026 Dockworkers Day Celebration

Maritime industry stakeholders convened on Dockworkers Day 2026 to champion cleaner, safer, and more sustainable port operations across Nigeria. The celebration, organized by the Shipping Correspondents Association of Nigeria (SCAN) in Apapa, Lagos, brought together labor leaders, government officials, terminal operators, and industry stakeholders under the theme 'Green Ports: Sustainable Practices for Dockworkers.' The event also served as a platform to call for greater investment in the welfare, training, and inclusion of dockworkers.

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The chosen theme, ‘Green Ports: Sustainable Practices for Dockworkers,’ is both timely and strategic. It reflects the realities of our changing world and the urgent need for the maritime industry to embrace environmental sustainability while safeguarding decent work for those who keep our ports running.

Comrade (Prince) Dr. Adeyanju Adewale, Immediate Past President-General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) and Vice President of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), stressed the importance of including dockworkers in the global drive towards environmentally sustainable ports. "The chosen theme, ‘Green Ports: Sustainable Practices for Dockworkers,’ is both timely and strategic," he stated. "It reflects the realities of our changing world and the urgent need for the maritime industry to embrace environmental sustainability while safeguarding decent work for those who keep our ports running."

The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, lauded dockworkers as the linchpin of the maritime value chain and global trade. He praised SCAN for institutionalizing the annual celebration and highlighted the critical role dockworkers play in economic development. "With ports being the key facilitator of economic development, and dockworkers constituting the backbone of port operations, it is undoubtedly clear that their labour which ensures the smooth functioning of international trade is the key pillar of economies and communities worldwide," Dantsoho remarked.

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I count it a great honor and a good fortune to be part of this noble cause of reiterating the irrefutable fact that dockworkers are the linchpin of the maritime value chain.

SCAN President Moses Ebosele noted that the celebration was designed not only to honor dockworkers but also to foster discussions on the future of sustainable port operations. The collective message from the stakeholders underscored the essential nature of dockworkers to the effective functioning of the maritime transportation system and global trade, emphasizing that without their efforts, international commerce would face significant disruption.

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With ports being the key facilitator of economic development, and dockworkers constituting the backbone of port operations, it is undoubtedly clear that their labour which ensures the smooth functioning of international trade is the key pillar of economies and communities worldwide.