1st July, 2011
The Secretary General of the West and Central Africa Memorandum of Understanding on Port Control (Abuja MoU), Mrs. Mfon Ekong Usoro, was recently at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) on a working visit where he was received by the Director General, Mr. Ziadeke Patrick Akpobolokemi.
The visit was primarily to acquaint the DG on the activities of the Abuja MoU, achievements and challenges and the need for the agency’s support for it to adequately deliver on its mandate.
In a presentation during the visit, the Secretary General said the Abuja MoU was established on 22 October, 1999 in Abuja by a Memorandum of Understanding signed by maritime authorities of coastal states in the West and Central Africa region including South Africa and operates under a cooperative agreement with the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The Abuja MoU, she said, covers 22 countries in the western seaboard of Africa. The mission of the Abuja MoU she further stated was to develop a system of harmonised Port State Control Inspection Procedure for the region aimed at the reduction of substandard shipping, prevention of marine pollution and improvement of living and working conditions of seafarers on board ships.