Back in the Spotlight: Dr Dakuku Peterside Headlines at WISTA Africa

.PHOTO: Dr Peterside

By Ramadan AbusiOdumare

ONE of Africa’s most commanding voices in maritime policy and management reform is coming home — and the industry is watching and paying serious attention.

Dr. Dakuku Peterside, management turnaround expert, public policy authority, and one of the continent’s foremost maritime thought leaders, has been confirmed as a keynote speaker at the 8th WISTA Africa Regional Conference, holding June 25 and 26, 2026, at the prestigious Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The significance of this announcement cannot be overstated. For a man who, over the past year alone, has commanded rooms at high-level maritime conferences in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kenya, and China, this marks his first keynote appearance at a maritime event on Nigerian soil in five years. It is, by any measure, a homecoming — and a moment the industry has been waiting for.

Dr. Peterside, former President of the Association of African Maritime Administrations and the man widely credited with driving unprecedented reforms at NIMASA during his tenure as Director-General and CEO, will speak on the theme “From Policy to Implementation” — a subject on which few carry more earned authority. A columnist in major Nigerian newspapers and a familiar, respected presence at banking and oil and gas forums, he brings rare cross-sector gravitas to the maritime platform.

The conference, organised by WISTA Nigeria — the first national WISTA association on the African continent, founded in 1994 and now marking 32 years of leadership — promises an extraordinary gathering of delegates from Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas. Under the presidency of Dr. Odunayo Ani, WISTA Nigeria has built this edition into a landmark event spanning themes from the Blue Economy and Energy Transition to Digital Transformation and Diversity and Inclusion.

When Dr. Peterside takes the podium on June 25, it will be more than a keynote — it will be a statement.