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AFP - The French government plans to strip Syrian President Bashar as-Assad of his Legion d'Honneur, France's most prestigious award, days after participating in airstrikes against suspected chemical weapons sites in Syria.

"The Elysee confirms that a disciplinary procedure for withdrawing the Legion d'Honneur (Legion of Honour) is underway," Macron's office said late Monday.

Assad was decorated with the Legion's highest rank of Grand Croix (Great Cross) by former president Jacques Chirac in 2001, shortly after taking power following the death of his father Hafez al-Assad.

Only a French president, who by tradition is the top-ranking Legion member, can decide to withdraw the distinction from a foreigner.

About 3,000 people are granted the distinction each year, including 400 foreigners recognised for their "services rendered to France" or for defending human rights, press freedom or other causes, according to the Legion's web site.

Assad has been accused of a series of chemical attacks on his own people during the brutal civil war which has torn Syria apart since 2011.

He has become a pariah for Western powers while maintaining the support of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose military intervention in the conflict gave Assad the upper hand against rebel opposition groups.

Putin himself is also a recipient of the Legion's Grand Croix, decorated by Chirac in 2006

Two African port associations, the Port Management Association for West Africa and Central Africa (PMAWCA) and the Port Management Association for East Africa and Southern Africa (PMAESA), with the support of the SSATP have developed guidelines on container terminal concessions for the region. The guidelines provide strategic and practical advice to high-level government decision-makers and general managers of port authorities, in their endeavor to attract professional private sector partners to invest in and operate container terminal facilities. The guidelines specifically offer practical advice to better prepare for the concession process, to review the contract provisions, and subsequently to better manage the concession.

The African port landscape has changed significantly since the late 90s, when Port reforms in Sub-Sahara Africa resulted in an increased involvement of private sector companies and a decrease in port authorities who withdrew from direct involvement into cargo handling operations, particularly in West and Central Africa, but to a lesser extent in Eastern and Southern Africa. In the mid-2000s, the reforms accelerated, and within a few years, most container terminals were passed on concession to specialized Terminal Operating Companies (TOCs), which embarked on extensive rehabilitation and upgrade plans. TOCs and public port authorities have invested in modern handling equipment and revamped facilities, resulting in productivity gains and reduced congestion.

Concessions have provided Governments with millions of dollars in revenue through entry tickets, annual fees and royalty payments on traffic handled by concessionaires. Greenfield projects are expected to further increase capacity to meet future demand, despite the recent slowdown in container traffic growth that has led to some of these projects to be put on hold and/or are facing headwinds in raising private financing.

Despite these advancements, s