By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, CILT, Calabar branch, has advocated a stronger regional cooperation to unlock maritime trade along the Gulf of Guinea.
Chairman of the Calabar branch of the CITL, Dr. Aniefiok Iton, made the advocacy during the closing ceremony of the 2026 CILT conference in Calabar, while speaking to our correspondent as the event wrapped up yesterday.
Iton framed the conference as more than a routine meeting, as it brought together key players in transport and logistics sector to map out the next steps for the region’s trade ecosystem.
She said, “This gathering is more than a conference. It is a strategic platform of vision, with aspirations to share knowledge, gain understanding and remain conscious of our economic environment.”
She urged participants to ensure the discussions move “beyond dialogue to direction and from intention to implementation.”
The conference theme, ‘Promoting Maritime Trade with Littoral Countries Along the Gulf of Guinea,’ was described as both timely and strategic, with Iton arguing that Nigeria needs to rethink its role in regional and global trade and respond with clarity.
The Gulf of Guinea spans over 6,000 kilometres along Africa’s Atlantic coast, linking resource-rich nations like Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, and São Tomé and Príncipe.
While geography has already connected these countries, Iton stressed that the priority now is converting that connection into structured efficiency, sustainable trade systems and shared prosperity.
For the South-South region and Cross River State specifically, the opportunity is clear.
Iton said the state sits well as a gateway for trade across sea, land, air, rail, and pipeline routes.
The challenge is that too much of the region’s resources still leave in raw form, with the full value chain captured elsewhere.
That, she noted, costs the economic opportunities for industrialization, jobs and technology transfer.
She outlined the barriers holding things back: limited indigenous participation in global trade, low awareness and capacity, informal port activities, underutilized infrastructure and security issues on the waterways.
Changing that requires strengthening regional partnerships, harmonizing trade and transit systems, investing in capacity building, modernizing ports, securing trade corridors and pushing for more value addition locally.
Iton added, “Nigeria’s geographical position places us at a strategic advantage. With that advantage comes responsibility.”
The conference drew a wide range of attendees, signaling the weight of the issue. Among them were the governor of Cross River State, Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu, CILT Nigeria National President Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, regional maritime leaders, senior military officers, port managers, academics, trade union leaders and international delegates.
