MOWCA to strengthen relationship with IMO, others

Dr. Paul Adalikwu, Secretary General of Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA) has assured of a strengthened relationship between the Organisation and other international, multilateral bodies sharing similar objectives.

Adalikwu who said this in Lagos during a visit to Jean Marie Koffi , Secretary General of Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) , said MOWCA will make deliberate effort to have presence at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and push for council membership for MOWCA member countries.

According to him, the organisaion cannot achieve its objectives in isolation and not having any West and Central African country on the council of IMO removes MOWCA members from the table of global maritime decision making and policy formulation.

He expressed optimism that the next IMO council election coming up in December 2023 will have MOWCA member countries in the expanded composition of the council to attract benefits to them and the African continent.

In achieving this, Adalikwu said MOWCA will reactivate communication and activities with all it’s statutory organs like PMAWCA, Union of African Shippers Council (UASC) , Regional Maritime University in Accra and the Maritime Academy in Cote D’Ivoire.

He described peer review programnes, exchange of ideas through getting experts to network and promotion of research based studies as strategies to unlock the many untapped potentials of MOWCA for the benefit of governments, investors, professionals and workers in the maritime industry.

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Adalikwu said : “Presently, there is no MOWCA member country in the council of IMO. I will engage with the Secretary General of IMO to reactivate a seat for MOWCA and make conscious efforts to see that our member countries get elected into the expanded council.

“Our maritime domain is very critical to global trade and we cannot afford to be absent from the table where decisions that affect us are taken and policies concerning our maritime domain are formulated at the world level.

“In achieving our goals at the world level, MOWCA will pursue and sustain cohesion with all maritime and trade related multilateral organisaions including African Union, ECOWAS Commission, ECCAS,  Abuja MoU on Port State Control; Gulf of Guinea Commission, training institutions and others” the SG said.

Adalikwu also requested tonnage statistics from PMAWCA required for MOWCA record purposes that could be relied upon for calculating dues of member states and emplace a more transparent accounting system

Also speaking during the Lagos visit, Jean Marie Koffi said PMAWCA has enjoyed so much support from the Nigerian government and the country’s institutions like Nigerian Ports Authority in the area of provision of befitting permanent secretariat, residence and funding for the Association

He told Adalikwu that part of PMAWCA’s greatest challenge is non fulfillment of financial obligation by some member countries that have not paid their dues for long.

Koffi disclosed that PMAWCA will avail MOWCA all required information and send invite to the organisation for it’s next conference holding in Senegal later in the year.