Review of the missions and functioning of this body through the explanations of Mr. Modeste AKOO, Technical Adviser No.1 and also Acting Permanent Secretary of the Orientation Advisory Committee (OAC).
A port is a point of contact between the ocean and the land, a point of exchange. These exchanges take place through infrastructures, procedures, equipment and actors in multiple trades and professions. The successive reforms of the port sector have provided a framework for these stakeholders, a consultation framework to allow for a better involvement and expression of their needs, for the attention of the General Management or the Board of Directors of the Port Authority. The choice of the Government of Cameroon was therefore to create within each Port Authority a dedicated and instituted Orientation Advisory Committee (OAC). The stakes are so high that it is imperative to organise and codify this consultation framework, which brings together representatives of the private and public sectors. And it is indeed the Law that creates the National Port Authority (NPA) and the Port Authorities, which also creates the Orientation Advisory Committee. That says it all! This Law and the subsequent implementing decrees define the modalities to create and operate the OAC and set out its missions.
The OAC is consulted to contribute to the choice and programming of investments, the distribution of the roles of port operators. It equally gives opinions on the tariffs for port services. You understand that port passage costs and deadlines are interrelated activities in a port. If one of the operators raises its tariffs singlehandedly, this can have an impact on the overall competitiveness of the port, and everyone will lose out. On some cross-cutting or specific issues, it is really important to find a concerted solution within a dedicated framework. This is the very role of the OAC, which in its operation gives opinions without interfering in the operation of the other governing bodies of the port. It should be noted that the CCO also works to promote the port and share information within the community.
The Chairman and I, Acting Permanent Secretary, have so far done some basic work to prepare the second session of the OAC, as the first session was dedicated to appointing the Chairman , that is, Mr Alain Blaise BATONGUE, who is also the Executive Secretary of GICAM. This second session aims to rally all members to the Chairman's vision. On this occasion, he will have to set the main orientations to accompany the overall performance of PAK, alongside the General Management and port users. Additional actions will be taken, especially the adoption of internal regulations and the development of a 2020 action plan. It will be an opportunity to get to know the members better, considering that behind each of them there is a whole organization or institution. Finally, we must identify the expectations to develop an effective action plan, correlated to PAK development plan. The OAC must help PAK without interfering in its activities; help it to know the whole maritime and port environment, so as to provide guidance in its strategic decisions
There will be a referral section on PAK website. In addition, complaints can be made by any means possible. This work of collection and study is done on a daily basis by the Permanent Secretariat because we cannot wait for a session to be held to report the needs to whomever it may concern. It is also for this reason that the Permanent Secretariat has a more operational mission of proximity. Since it is necessary to contribute to defining strategic orientations, the most basic work is still the studies that are done, the collection of information, benchmarking, and so on. We must help PAK to monitor its environment and both private and public stakeholders have the information necessary for decision-making. The OAC must be able to channel all this to PAK and the Minister of Transport to whom our annual observation reports are addressed.