Why are international seaports progressing and Sudanese seaports regressing?????? ✍️ Muhammad Othman Al-Radi
Today, the Sudanese Ports Authority held an inauguration ceremony of modern cargo handling mechanisms at the Coral Hotel in Port Sudan.
The Authority was able to acquire these modern mechanisms with its own resources, which represents a major achievement that adds to its undeniable track record.
There is no doubt that these mechanisms will significantly contribute to the smooth flow of exports and imports and save time and effort.
Although this measure came very late, it is better late than never, especially in the exceptional circumstances the country is experiencing.
Federal Minister of Finance Jibril Ibrahim spoke at the ceremony, in which he spoke about the language of numbers, as the total of goods dispersed in different ports of the world exceeded 10 million containers per year, while Sudanese seaports unload 270,000 thousand containers per year.
According to the statement of the Minister of Finance, who relied on the figures, there is a big gap between the amazing progress of international ports and the horrible decline of Sudanese ports, which have remained in the first place.
The Director General of the Seaports Authority, Captain Mohamed Hassan Mukhtar, managed to achieve major advances in the development and rehabilitation of the port and left a clear mark that only the arrogant can deny, but his health condition does not qualify him to continue the journey. and he continued to wander around Arab and European capitals in search of treatment. It is better for him to retire and give the opportunity to others in the state. They are the most qualified, the most competent, the most experienced and the most capable of succeeding him.
It is noteworthy that the young revolutionary and renowned trade unionist Othman Taher stormed the venue of the ceremony, seized the microphone and opened fire on the Minister of Finance, denouncing his provocative speech, in his own words, and demanding the need to enact a separate law for seaports so that they can fully fulfill their role.
The sudden speech of the young revolutionary Othman Taher and his violent attack on the Minister of Finance, Jibril Ibrahim, prompted the leaders of the Seaports Authority to come on stage to defend the Minister of Finance and beautify his face in front of the audience. This confirms that the intervention of the young revolutionary Othman Taher upset the balance and spoiled the joy of the leadership of the Seaports Authority.
In honour of celebrating this achievement, the Seaports Authority hosted a sumptuous iftar for the guests, estimated at around 200 people, at Sakala Resort, and the guests enjoyed a lavish meal consisting of various types of fish.
The sumptuous breakfast provided on this occasion was needed by people displaced by the war in the shelters who sleep on the ground and bask in the sky of the city of Port Sudan.
The work routine was completely disrupted today due to the fact that the directors of the senior departments of the Seaports Authority were sitting at breakfast, enjoying the breathtaking view of the sea, and it would have been better if they were in their offices to attend to the needs of the people.
I was looking forward to attending the press conference held in honor of this ceremony and expected the senior management of the Ports Authority to answer an important and crucial question: why are Sudanese seaports slow to import the latest technologies in the field of cargo handling at a time when all peer ports are progressing at a steady pace?
The main reason for our delay and the progress of others is the lack of clarity of vision and the lack of a roadmap and policy for daily livelihood.
The challenge is not to import modern machinery to develop the port, but rather how to preserve it, maintain it and provide spare parts.
The reason for the development of world ports and the backwardness of our ports is that they care about the qualification, training, maintenance and motivation of human personnel, while we celebrate and celebrate only lifting machines.
The problem of the Maritime Ports Authority is how to optimally manage the enormous resources at its disposal and the need to use them in vital aspects that contribute to development and development in a scientific manner.
The old cranes that need maintenance, have they been maintained, put into production and are they operating at full efficiency???
Are the rights of workers including incentives, allowances and equitable distribution of government housing for workers of the Seaports Authority, in addition to promotions in various jobs, all these rights sponsored and maintained by the Director General of the Seaports Authority???
In order to know the extent of progress or backwardness of Sudanese seaports, it would have been better to give examples of work of some seaports in different countries and then make a comparison to confirm whether we are really progressing or still back to square one.
