Bayo Akomolafe Maritime Organisation of West and Central A f r i c a ( M OW C A ) and African Development Bank(AfDB) have partnered on dry dock development in West and Central Africa.
According to the Secretary General of th.e organisation, Dr. Paul Adalikwu the initiative was aimed at driving maritime trade deeper beyond littoral areas and achieve greater logistical connectivity between seaports and hinterlands.
Adalikwu, who disclosed this in Brazzaville at his maiden meeting with the newly appointed Congolese Minister of Transport, Civil Aviation and Merchant Marine, Madam Ingrid Olga Ebouka-Babakas explained that MOWCA had commenced strategic moves to achieve greater maritime trade in the Gulf of Guinea by negotiating diversion of ships from the Red Sea where there is prevalence of armed conflicts.
He explained to the minister, who also doubles as Chairperson of the MOWCA Council of Ministers that the feat was being achieved with the active support of AfDB to strengthen the blue economy drive across Africa.
Adalikwu noted that the organisation was committed to safe and cost effective shipping in member countries maritime jurisdictions and had been in touch with governments and multinationals operating in the West and Central African maritime domain.
He said: “This is to suppress piracy and other acts capable of undermining safety of crew, cargo and vessel.” Also, Adalikwu reiterated MOWCA’s commitment to achieving viability of inland waterways in member countries while briefing her on the capacity building efforts the organisation was making including the regional workshop on inland waterway safety and ferry accidents in Libreville, Gabon in 2024.
According to him, the workshop was focused on addressing issues around frequent accidents on inland waterways and the role of meteorological information in ensuring safe navigation, saying it emphasised the need for strengthened regulations and enforcement of safety protocols on inland waterways, particularly in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
On the planned transformation of MOWCA to African Maritime Organisation (AMO), Adalikwu said the organisation was working with International Maritime Organisation (IMO), African Union, Association of African Maritime Administrations to achieve this goal.
