The Secretary General of the Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA), Dr. Paul Adalikwu, paid a strategic courtesy and working visit to the Honourable Minister of Transport of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea as part of ongoing engagements with Member States aimed at strengthening regional maritime cooperation and advancing MOWCA’s reform and implementation agenda.
2. Objectives of the Engagement:
The engagement sought to:
• Reinforce Equatorial Guinea’s active participation in MOWCA programmes and decision-making processes;
• Align national maritime and transport priorities with regional and continental maritime frameworks;
• Discuss priority areas for technical cooperation, capacity building, and maritime governance support;
• Strengthen collaboration on maritime safety, security, and sustainable blue economy development in the Gulf of Guinea.
3. Key Issues Discussed
• Maritime Safety and Security: Enhancing coordination on maritime domain awareness, port and flag State implementation, and regional security initiatives under the Yaoundé Architecture.
• Institutional Capacity Building: Support for training, human capital development, and institutional strengthening of maritime administrations.
• Regional Integration: The role of Equatorial Guinea in advancing harmonised maritime policies, regional transport connectivity, and trade facilitation within West and Central Africa.
• Continental and Global Alignment: Positioning Member States to engage more effectively within the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and supporting Africa’s aspiration for a stronger unified maritime voice.
4. Outcomes
• Reaffirmation of Equatorial Guinea’s commitment to MOWCA’s objectives and programmes;
• Agreement to enhance technical collaboration between MOWCA and the Ministry of Transport;
• Identification of priority areas for follow-up support, including capacity development and policy alignment;
• Strengthened political dialogue between MOWCA and Equatorial Guinea in support of regional maritime stability and development.
5. Way Forward
• Continued high-level engagement between MOWCA and Equatorial Guinea’s transport and maritime authorities;
• Development of concrete cooperation activities aligned with national priorities and MOWCA’s strategic plan;
• Sustained collaboration to advance maritime safety, security, and sustainable maritime transport across the sub-region.
Prepared by:
MOWCA Secretariat General
