Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa

ABOUT MOWCA

MOWCA was established in May 1975 in Abidjan, under the Charter of Abidjan, as the Ministerial Conference of West and Central African States on Maritime Transport (MINCONMAR). The Ministerial Conference was inspired by H.E. Houphouet Boigny, the late President of the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire and its first Chairman was H.E. Lamine Fadika then Minister of Maritime Affairs of the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire.

The first Secretary-General was Mr John Walla of the Republic of Cameroon, (1968-1990). Mr Walla was succeeded by Mr. Lawrence Pufong also of the Republic of Cameroon, (1990-1998). Since January 1999, MOWCA has a new Secretary General named Mr. Magnus Teye ADDICO of the Republic of Ghana.

The name was changed to MOWCA as part of sweeping reforms adopted by the General Assembly of Ministers of Transport, at an extraordinary session of the Organisation held in Abidjan the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire from 4-6 August 1999. The Reforms were inspired by H.E. General SASSOU NGUESSO, President of the Republic of Congo, at the 10th Ministerial Conference held in Brazzaville, in October 1998. The Reforms were carried out under the Chairmanship of the President of the 10 Ministerial Conference, H.E. Isidore MVOUBA, then Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation and Merchant Shipping of the Republic of Congo currently the Prime Minister of the Republic of Congo and the current Secretary General, Mr. M.T. Addico.

MOWCA brings together the 25 countries on the West and Central African shipping range (including five landlocked countries) in one of the world's regional sectoral integration schemes. The objective is to serve the regional and international community as a one-stop shop for handling all maritime matters that are regional in character.

The countries on this shipping range comprise 20 coastal states borderingCoastal States: Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo. Landlocked Countries: Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Mali, and Niger.

Together, these countries generated in 1998 an estimated 247million tonnes of cargo, representing 4.8% of world cargo tonnage of 5129.4million tonnes; 95% of this is seaborne. In the carriage of this trade, the sub-region is confronted with the following problems: the cost-effectiveness of shipping services; availability of shipping space, and frequency of sailings, level of freight rates, competitiveness and survival of national/regional operators, efficiency of seaports, safety of cargo/ships, inland transportation networks, availability of coastal shipping services, efficiency of multi-modal transport systems and trade facilitation, protection of shippers interests, and the special case of landlocked countries.

The coastal countries share common coastal waters and oceans which are known to contain some of the richest fishing grounds in the world and a tourist haven for sun and surf seekers. At the same time, the sub-region's coastal waters provide some of the busiest shipping routes for large volumes of oil tanker traffic. The sub-region also harbours its own oil producing countries, with a network of oil tanker movements in its coastal waters. The problems related to this are: the implementation of various international conventions relating to safety (SOLAS), marine pollution (MARPOL) as well as the contemporary International Safety Management Code (ISM) and the Standard of Training Certification and Watch-keeping for Seafarers (STCW) Convention.

Thus, it is clear that while the economies of the sub-region depend heavily on maritime transport and other maritime-oriented activities, the above issues are regional in character and are accordingly dealt with by MOWCA. The over-riding role of MOWCA is to ensure for the sub-region a cost-effective shipping service high on safety and low on pollution.

The role of MOWCA has become even more relevant in this era of intense regional integration, as nations in regions are integrating their respective economic sectors so as to achieve economies of scale, reduce ruinous competition among themselves and as a regional bloc, to be able to compete more effectively against other regional blocs. In the absence of a regional integration scheme, each country would develop its own regulatory framework, thereby erecting barriers and obstacles to trade. The European experience is a worthy point of reference. From this stand point, MOWCA's role is in keeping with the African Maritime Charter and the vision of an African Economic Community being facilitated by the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and the UN's Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

From a world wide protectionist policy stand point of the 1970s and 1980s, MOWCA's shipping policy in the 1990s has shifted towards liberalisation of trade/services, as the member states became signatories of the GATT/WTO and particularly the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). Many of the member states have made commitments regarding GATS with particular reference to maritime transport services; this implies adoption of strategies and measures to ensure that policies implemented do not run counter to the relevant provisions of GATS. At the same time, strengthening domestic service capacity, efficiency and competitiveness to enable member states take advantage of the liberalisation of market access in sectors and modes of supply. The target of MOWCA shipping policy is for the sub-region, in a liberalized environment, to achieve cost-efficiency of shipping services while, at the same time, creating an equity base for effective participation of its operators in the supply of the services and further providing adequate protection for the users of the shipping services. Following two World Bank/MOWCA Round Tables on efficiency of shipping services, held in Cotonou, in 1992 and 1997, MOWCA adopted a resolution approving proposals on the subject of liberalisation/competitiveness of the sub-region's maritime transport services as well as measures on safety of navigation and environmental protection. MOWCA also adopted programs to implement those policies.

The focus of policy is on the following:
i. encouraging participation of the private sector in West/Central Africa in ship operation particularly in coastal shipping, by way of ownership/chartering of tonnage and forging co-operation/partnerships between regional operators and foreign shipping companies operating to the sub-region.

ii. development of coastal shipping networks and establishment of feeder systems to connect hub and spoke ports. Establishment of an effective multimodal transport system for the sub-region.

iii. port development and facilitation with particular reference to achieving a cost effective / faster ship turn around times and creating special berths and conditions for landlocked countries, coastal /feeder shipping in MOWCA ports.

iv. strengthening of service-oriented shippers' councils to effectively protect and represent the users or the demand side of the shipping industry

v. strengthening of the regional maritime academies of Abidjan, Accra and the Nigerian Academy of Oron to provide training at all levels of the maritime, fishing and petroleum industry, including exchange of teaching personnel, provision of facilities for sea-training for cadets.

vi. establishment of national transport observatories to be co-ordinated by a regional observatory based in the Secretariat, to generate an up-to-date, uniform, computerised data base for the entire sub-region.

vii. maritime safety and environmental protection with regards to creating effective contingency plans for pollution prevention/curtailment in member states, establishment of reception facilities for the discharge of waste from tankers, enhancement of efficiency of maritime administrations, the implementation of flag state control measures and regional Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on port state control, establishment of a sub-regional coastguard network,

MOWCA'S DECISION-MAKING PROCESS
The supreme decision-making body for MOWCA is a General Assembly of Ministers of Transport of Member States meeting at ordinary sessions every two years and at Extraordinary sessions if necessary. This includes preparatory meetings of Experts of Member states. At each ordinary session, a Bureau is appointed made up of a Chairman, two Vice-Chairmen, and a Rapporteur. The Chairman and the Bureau play the role of a Board during the intervening period between ordinary sessions.

The current Bureau is constituted as follows: Chairman, HE, Minister of of Transport, of the Republic of Angola; 1st Vice-Chairman, Hon, Minister of Transport of the Republic of Senegal; 2nd Vice-Chairman, Hon, Minister of Transport of the Democratic Republic of Congo; Rapporteur, Hon, Minister of Transport of the Republic of Nigeriai.

MOWCA is serviced by a full-time maritime professional elected as Secretary-General by the General Assembly of Ministers. The Secretary-General also heads the Headquarters/General Secretariat of the Organisation based in Abidjan. The General Secretariat has Technical, Administrative and Finance functions.

There are three specialized Organs of MOWCA which are co-ordinated by the Secretary-General namely, # the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA), # the Union of African Shippers Councils (UASC) # the Association of African Shipping Lines (ANSL). These respectively represent the ports, the shippers and the operators on the ground. There are also two Regional Maritime Academies based in Abidjan and Accra and a National Academy based in Oron, the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Ad hoc Committees are set up, as appropriate, to deal with specific issues that are inter-disciplinary in nature.

The framework for decision making is enshrined in a number of institutional documents namely: the Charter of Abidjan, the Convention on the Institutionalisation of the Organisation, the Rules of Procedure, Staff Rules and Conditions of Service. MOWCA is financed by annual contributions of Member States, grants by donor agencies which are normally project-oriented and other sources.