Monrovia - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair on a visit to the Free Port of Monrovia Tuesday, said Liberia’s partnership with a global port-management company is a giant step forward for the country’s economic development.

“To reform a port you need people with the best minds,” Blair said Tuesday.  “Singapore did this years back and today they are building the capacity of other ports around the world.”

The port is a major contributing factor to growth of the economy, Blair said.

The former British PM said reform requires time while adding that with a sense of direction and a committed, competent government. the country can move forward.

“The reason why the international community is working with this government is they think that your president has a vision,” Blair asserted.

Liberia is among several African nations that are on the path of reform, Blair noted. Blair also visited the National Port Authority to assess the level of work carried out by APM Terminals.

NPA Managing Director Matilda Parker thanked the former Prime Minister for visiting the gateway to Liberia’s economy. Parker said the vision of her administration is to make the Free Port of Monrovia a premier port in West Africa.

“And we can only do this with an excellent partner like APM Terminal,” she asserted.The Free Port of Monrovia is handling 60 per cent of Liberia’s sea traffic and trade, Parker added.

Liberia’s second port at Buchanan is not a “landlord port” that is leased by a company, but is run by the government and port activities include work related to logging, tourism, commercial fishing and container handling.

The head of the NPA explained that the port of Buchanan has the potential to become one of the deepest-water ports in West Africa. In 2008 the port had 308 vessels coming into the country but that the number has increased 513, Parker said.

“When we took over in 2009 we were USD$18 million in revenue but for this year our target is $28 million,” she said.