Africa should negotiate international conventions —Shippers Council boss

The Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Mr Hassan Bello, has said that African countries should stop domesticating every international conventions on maritime issues presented to them in the international community, but should start negotiating international conventions to their own convenience.

Speaking exclusively to the Nigerian Tribune on the sideline of the just concluded third edition of the Association of African Maritime Administrations (AAMA) held in Abuja, Nigeria, Mr Bello said the Hague Rule, an international convention, is generally made to favour western economies and not developing economies like Africa.

According to him, “it is time Africa get its act together as far as global maritime issues is concerned. The continent has always been having the end of the stick as far as international conventions is concerned.

“The Hague Rule for instance was particularly designed to favour the western and advanced countries. Same thing is the problem with many international maritime conventions. They don’t consider what Africa has to offer.

“It takes two to tango, especially in international trade. We need to come together to look at Africa’s interest in most of these international conventions. Africa should stop all this ‘follow-follow’ approach when it comes to domesticating international conventions in the continents maritime domain.

“Africa should negotiate international conventions. We should look at what our interest is when domesticating this international conventions. Africa should negotiate international conventions to her own convenience.

“Yes, we recognise the internationality of shipping, but we also must recognise Africa’s perspectives.

“There are so many things African countries are disadvantaged as regards domesticating international conventions. We have to stop this ‘follow-follow attitude’ because shipping cannot thrive when a party is disadvantaged. African countries has to come together to correct this.

“If they (western countries) have the ships, we have the cargoes. What can the ships do if there are no cargoes. The ships will do nothing. The western countries cannot trade among themselves, they have to trade with Africa because we have the cargoes. We have the market.

“So it beholds on us to come together and speak with one voice. That is the benefit of platforms like this. Africa should start negotiating this international conventions. The African Union, ECOWAS should start speaking with one voice.

“We must come together with the purpose of saying Africa has to have e maximum benefit of international conventions to her economy.”

On illegal fishing and poaching by Asian giants in African waters, the Shippers Council boss admonished African countries to protect its blue economy.

“Africa is in trouble. Every country has its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) which should be protected.

“In Nigeria for sample, you just heard from the fishing trawlers association that foreign ships from mostly Asian countries s just come into our waters to poach our maritime resources, degrading the waters in the process. This means we are not protecting our maritime domain.

“We are always saying that we have 800 kilometres of water coastline, what is the benefit of that if the vast resources can be plundered anytime.

“We need to start protecting our maritime resources more. We need to start negotiating international convention to our own convenience. We should not just hurry into domesticating international conventions because we own the markets. We own the cargoes.”