Ministers of Transport and Heads of Maritime administration from 17 West and Central African countries have converged on Accra, Ghanaian capital, for the third Ministerial Conference on the Abuja Memorandum of Understanding, MoU.
The week-long conference, which took off on Monday, is a platform for the participants to deliberate on issues affecting sub-standard shipping in Africa. It was preceded by the ninth Port State Control Committee meeting of maritime technocrats.
Ghana’s Vice-President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who formally opened the conference, according to Mr. Kwame Owusu, Director General of the Ghana Maritime Authority, GMA, was delighted that Accra was chosen for the parley
He said the conference was an offshoot of the MoU on Port State Control for West and Central African Region generally referred to as Abuja MoU.
It is one of the nine Regional MoUs and one national MoU established pursuant to International Maritime Organisation Resolution A.682 (17) of 1991.
Abuja MoU was established on 22nd October, 1999, as an inter-governmental organisation comprising of the maritime administrations of countries abutting the Atlantic coast of Africa. Mr. Owusu said the GMA, as a signatory of the Abuja MoU was committed to safe and secure shipping in the light of oil finds by more African countries and the threat posed by piracy.
According to him, the hosting of the conference afforded Ghana the chance to affirm its commitment to all international conventions by the world body to ensure that shipping in all international waters was carried out in safety and security.
