Port Concession Contracts: A Guide to Developing a New Terminal at a Port in Sub Saharan Africa

Identifying an Appropriate Port for Development

A port concession is a contract whereby a government transfers operating rights to private enterprise, whilst maintaining the rights to approve activities and development and put in place specific terms within the contract. E.g: the rehabilitation or construction of infrastructure by the concessionaire. Thereby enabling a government to develop a port with limited operational and financial risk whilst also retaining ownership of the land and safeguarding public interests.

Assessment Task

You work for a large private investor who wish to enter a concession agreement for the development of a new terminal at a port in Sub Saharan Africa. You should identify a port where you see an opportunity for development and briefly describe the proposed development. You are then required to review the concession options available and decide which variant you would recommend. Your recommendation should be fully justified.

Excellent choice of port and identification of highly appropriate development opportunitydescribed with justification

Excellent choice of port and identification of appropriate development opportunity which is described with fair justification

Port choice is good and a development opportunity is identified but lacks sufficient explanation or very limited justification to support choice

Port choice or development opportunity could have been better. There was very limited effort to support choice

Excellent review of concession options available. Concession chosen was fully supported and justified

A good review of concession options  available. Concession chosen was supported with a good attempt at justifying choice

A fair review of concession options available. Concession chosen was appropriate but limited supporting justification

Exceptionally high level of referencing with no errors. Extensive, up to date and varied sources utilised

Excellent review of concession options available. Concession chosen was fully supported and justified

A good review of concession options available. Concession chosen was supported with a good attempt at justifying choice

Poorly presented and/or inappropriate presentation. Inappropriate style of writing. Many grammatical and spelling errors.

This assessment will enable students to demonstrate in full or in part the learning outcomes identified in the Module descriptors.

i. If this assessment is submitted late i.e. within 5 working days of the submission deadline, the mark will be capped at 40% if a pass mark is achieved;

ii. If this assessment is submitted later than 5 working days after the submission deadline, the work will be regarded as a nonsubmission and will be awarded a zero;

iii. If this assessment is being submitted as a referred piece of work then it must be submitted by the deadline date; any Refer assessment submitted late will be regarded as a non-submission and will be awarded a zero.

Any submission must be students’ own work and, where facts or ideas have been used from other sources, these sources must be appropriately referenced. The University’s Academic Handbook includes the definitions of all practices that will be deemed to constitute academic misconduct. Students should check this link before submitting their work.

The work being carried out by students must be in compliance with the Ethics Policy. Where there is an ethical issue, as specified within the Ethics Policy, then students will need an ethics release or an ethical approval prior to the start of the project.

The University’s Extenuating Circumstances procedure is in place if there are genuine circumstances that may prevent a student submitting an assessment. If students are not 'fit to study’, they can either request an extension to the submission deadline of 5 working days or they can request to submit the assessment at the next opportunity (Defer). In both instances students must submit an EC application with relevant evidence. If accepted by the EC Panel there will be no academic penalty forlate submission or non-submission dependent on what is requested. Students are reminded that EC covers only short term issues and that if they experience longer term matters that impact on learning then they must contact the Student Hub for advice.