MARITIME ORGANISATION OF WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICA (MOWCA)
Sub-Regional Sectoral Integration - for cost effective maritime/transit transport services, high on safety, security, low on pollution

INTRODUCTION

The Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA) comprises 25 countries from Mauritania to Angola, 20 coastal and five landlocked countries.

MOWCA, established on 7 May 1975 and based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, is an inter-governmental institution for cooperation in the Merchant Navy, the port industry, maritime safety and security, transit transport to and from landlocked member countries, marine environmental protection and the implementation of relevant international conventions. 

The objectives and basis of this cooperation are set forth in the Abidjan Charter and the Convention on the Institutionalisation of the Organisation.

The Organisation initially focused on maritime transport issues, and, from 1975 to 1999 was known as the “Ministerial Conference of West and Central African States on Maritime Transport”. The change in name took into account the Organisation’s extended scope of activities. 

II.        PROJECTS AND PROGRAMMES:

MOWCA is currently implementing a number of sub-regional projects and programmes which focus on the Abidjan Charter, the Millennium Development Goals, global maritime safety and security challenges, the Almaty Programme of Action and the African Union Maritime Action Plan,. The five major projects are: 

• Integrated sub-Regional Coast Guard Network to protect ships, passengers and goods from piracy, terrorism and the pollution and illegal exploitation of the exclusive economic zones of member states;
• Information and Communications Centre to ensure effective flow of information in the sub-region, assist in the control of ships by the port State and carry out a coordinated inspection of ships in the ports of member states 
• Facilitation of transit transport and the Sealed Grid System for transporting transit goods across national borders; this project was designed to facilitate the flow of traffic when transporting goods by road;
• Regional Maritime Fund aimed at creating a capital base for funding sub-regional maritime projects and programmes;
• Regional Maritime Bank to provide solid support for maritime, port and transit transport development in the sub-region.

III.       ORGANISATION AND STRUCTURES

3.1. Basic Structures

The position of Chairman which is rotated among member states every two years, the General Assembly, the Bureau of Ministers, the General Secretariat, the Committee of Experts and the Specialised Committees. The Organisation is run by a Secretary General with the assistance of four departments:
1)         Department for Administration and Finance;
2)         Department of Ports, Shipping and Multimodal Transport;
3)         Department of Marine Safety and Environmental Protection;
4)         Management and Information Technology Department.

3.2. Support Structures

The objective of MOWCA is to promote sub-regional and international cooperation and solidarity among member states in matters affecting the maritime sector and specific problems of landlocked member states. The Organisation depends on its Specialised Organs, the Maritime University and the Maritime Academies to formulate and implement its policy.

a)         Specialised Organs

• The Ports Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA), with the General Secretariat in Lagos, Nigeria. Its duty is to harmonise port policies and improve the management of port operations;
• The Association of African Shipping Lines (AASL) with headquarters in Cotonou, Benin and whose task is to formulate the most appropriate policy for the effective provision of shipping services;
• The Union of African Shippers’ Councils (UASC), whose General Secretariat is in Douala, Cameroon, with the function of negotiating freight charges with the shipping lines and handling all cargo issues. 

b)         Maritime University and Academies
These are institutions for training seamen and ground staff for the merchant navy and the ports, and transport logistics staff:

• The Regional Maritime Academy of Science and Technology, Abidjan;
• The Regional Maritime Academy, Accra;
• The Maritime Academy, Oron, Nigeria.

IV.       DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS:
In developing and implementing its cooperation policy, MOWCA benefits from the political, financial and technical support of not only its member states but also enjoys the support of several development partners including France, the United States, Canada, Great Britain, the Republic of Korea, etc., and international institutions such as:

The World Bank – SSATP Project

• IMO: maritime security and safety – the Integrated sub-Regional Coast Guard project;
• UNCTAD: maritime services development policy on transit and multimodal transport;
• ECA:   United Nations Decades for transport and communications in Africa;
• ALMATY Programme of action: facilitation of transit transport between coastal countries and landlocked countries;  
• African Union: Abuja (2007) and Algiers (2008) maritime action plans.

It is important, in conclusion, to emphasise that apart from sub-regional integration, the long-term objective of MOWCA is the provision of “profitable maritime and auxiliary services, with greater security, more safety and less pollution.”