Nigeria rallies support for Adalikwu’s headship of MOWCA
AS it did for the leadership of World Trade Organisation ( WTO), Nigeria is seeking the support of other countries to clinch the leadership of the Maritime Organisation for West and Central Africa ( MOWCA).
This is the first time the country is showing interest in the headship of the multilateral maritime organisation that cuts across 20 coastal and five landlocked countries in West and Central Africa.
The Federal Government has intensified efforts through interactions and diplomatic outreach to Anglophone and Francophone countries to actualise the emergence of Dr Paul Adalikwu as Nigeria’s candidate for Secretary General of MOWCA.
The Minister of State for Transport, Senator Gbemisola Saraki, last week, led a delegation of senior government officials with the candidate to Cameroon and Angola to solicit support for the country’s candidate.
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari had approved Adalikwu’s candidacy after the vacancy of the 46- year- old organisation was announced last year.
However, sources disclosed that some Anglophone and Francophone MOWCA member countries have started expressing support for the Nigerian candidate in their collective desires to see an improved MOWCA that would be beneficial to member states.
Adalikwu, who is a Director in charge of Maritime Safety and Security at the Federal Ministry of Transport, is playing key roles in the move for establishment of the Regional Maritime Development Bank ( RMDB).
The bank, a MOWCA initiative, would be sited in Nigeria to bridge funding gaps in the maritime and allied sectors in all member countries. This is expected to address critical areas of vessel financing, maritime infrastructural upgrades, capacity building and capital- intensive procurements.
His endorsement by the Nigerian government attests to the country’s desire for a more proactive and productive multilateral maritime organisation covering 25 member countries.
Adalikwu is interested in deliberate and sustained effort towards effective communication among member countries on how best to preserve their marine environments from pollution, harness copious benefits of the maritime sector and maximise the potential for productive shipping while jointly fighting maritime crimes.
He is said to be interested in championing the cause of safe navigation in line with the International Maritime Organisation ( IMO) 1974 SOLAS ( Safety of Lives at Sea) Convention, among member countries.
Nigeria’s commitment to the ideals of the IMO is expected to positively influence running of MOWCA in line with global best practices.
Whereas, ‘ Seafarers: At the Core of Shipping Future’ is the 2021 theme of the International Maritime Organisation, an improved MOWCA would sensitise member states on the need to key into the global yearly maritime theme not just in mantra but on implementa tion, year in, year out.
Adalikwu plans to activate real time online presence of MOWCA using its website to strengthen the region’s long standing maritime culture and working to reap the benefits derivable from the mar - itime domain, human capital and available technology.
While making the MOWCA - website more interactive and highly informative with regular updates, he hopes to run a MOWCA with strong, viable and rich social media following for member states, investors and professionals’ benefits.
Adalikwu, who has keenly monitored and kept himself abreast with the Centre for Information and Communication ( CINFOCOM) set up by the outgoing Secretary General and domiciled in the MOWCA Secretariat, hopes to make it real active and overhaul its mono- lingual structure from only French Language to the three working languages of MOWCA - English, French and Portuguese.
An improved CINFOCOM operated from Abidjan would not have to rely on Google translations anymore because of the observed inaccuracies of the mode as the organisation is expected to interact with 25 countries in the immediate and a global maritime audience.
Language experts to be engaged in MOWCA Secretariat on a full- time basis will process translated information.
Member countries will now have reasons to refer to the MOWCA website as a daily source of credible maritime information, giving quarterly, half yearly and yearly analysis of cargo throughput, maritime security updates, marine environment/ pollution issues and proffering solutions using diplomatic channels of communication with member states to achieve implementation of recommendations.
On maritime manpower development, there are plans to make the organisation influence the standard of Certificate of Competency ( COC) issued by MOWCA member states.