On Wednesday 20th June 2018, IIFA Council Member John Dunne delivered a presentation on “The Role and Importance of Freight Forwarding in Modern Logistics” to International Port Managers in National College of Ireland.
17 Senior Managers from the Member Ports of the English-speaking network of the UNCTAD TrainForTrade Port Management Programme (PMP) were in attendance, including Representatives from Indonesia, Ghana, Malaysia, Nigeria, and the Philippines, as well as prospective Port members (Serbia) and former member (Namibia). These Representatives are visiting Dublin for this training and to exchange experiences and knowledge on the contents and delivery of Modules 1 - 4 of the course on Modern Port Management.
Dublin Port, in co-organisation with Port of Cork Company and Belfast Harbour Commissioners, hosted this week long training event. The objective of the workshop is to prepare the Senior Port Managers for their roles as future instructors in their Port Communities.
On the day following day, Thursday 21st June 2018, the visiting Senior Managers had the opportunity to meet President Michael D. Higgins, through a special invitation to attend Áras an Uachtaráin. Mr. Higgins welcomed the visiting Port Managers which are members of the English-speaking network of UNCTAD’s Train for Trade port management programme.
"As an island nation, almost uniquely dependent on international trade, we in Ireland know and value the importance of our ports, and all who work there," Mr. Higgins said during a reception at Áras an Uachtaráin, his official residence.
“I am so very proud that our ports here in Ireland and Irish Aid, our overseas development assistance programme, have been participating with the English-speaking network for eleven years now, and that they have agreed to continue for four more years,” Mr. Higgins said.
“It is an example of internationalization in the best sense, co-operative not competitive, dedicated to the prosperity of all the peoples of the world rather than a narrow few.”
The face-to-face workshop was the completion of a course that started with a distance learning component from April to June which represented a new blended learning strategy for the Port Management Programme.
The objective of the workshop was to prepare the senior port managers for their roles as future instructors in their port communities.
