By Uche Usim
The Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA) has initiated strategic moves to bolster maritime trade in the Gulf of Guinea by negotiating the diversion of ships from the Red Sea, where armed conflicts pose significant risks to trade.
The Secretary General of MOWCA, Dr. Paul Adalikwu, revealed this development during his maiden meeting with Madam Ingrid Olga Ebouka-Babakas, the newly appointed Congolese Minister of Transport, Civil Aviation, and Merchant Marine, who also chairs the MOWCA Council of Ministers. The meeting took place in Brazzaville.
Dr. Adalikwu informed the Minister that the move is being supported by the African Development Bank (AfDB) to enhance Africa’s blue economy and ensure that trade in the region is not disrupted by conflicts in the Red Sea. “We are actively working to shift trade routes and strengthen the blue economy across Africa, preventing armed conflicts from disrupting trade in the region,” he said.
MOWCA, according to Dr. Adalikwu, is committed to ensuring safe and cost-effective shipping within the maritime jurisdictions of its member countries. The organization has been in discussions with governments and multinational corporations operating in the West and Central African maritime domain to suppress piracy and other security threats that jeopardize the safety of crew, cargo, and vessels.
During the meeting, Dr. Adalikwu briefed Madam Ebouka-Babakas on the various partnerships MOWCA has established with international organizations, including the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), and ICC Yaoundé in Cameroon. These collaborations have played a pivotal role in revitalizing the organization, which had been nearly dormant for a decade prior to his election. “These partnerships have been crucial in reviving MOWCA and helping it regain its momentum,” he noted.
Dr. Adalikwu also emphasized MOWCA’s commitment to the viability of inland waterways within its member countries. He updated the Minister on the organization’s capacity-building initiatives, including a regional workshop on inland waterway safety and ferry accidents, set to take place in Libreville, Gabon, in 2024. The workshop will focus on addressing frequent accidents on inland waterways and the role of meteorological information in ensuring safe navigation.
“The economic importance of safe inland waterway ferry services cannot be overstated,” Dr. Adalikwu stated. The workshop aims to strengthen regulations and enforcement of safety protocols, especially in countries like Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where such issues are prevalent. Gabon also expressed support for the workshop, which seeks to prevent accidents and ensure safety.
On the proposed transformation of MOWCA into the African Maritime Organization (AMO), Dr. Adalikwu explained that the organization is collaborating with the IMO, the African Union (AU), and the Association of African Maritime Administrations (AAMA) to achieve this goal. “This transformation is a key objective for MOWCA, and we are making significant strides toward it,” he said.
Dr. Adalikwu had previously delivered a statement on this transformation during the AAMA Conference in Tanzania, where participants agreed to hold a meeting of experts in June 2025, in collaboration with AfDB, to further advance the agenda. He promised to update Madam Ebouka-Babakas on the meeting’s outcomes and the role she will play in the process.
In response, Madam Ebouka-Babakas commended Dr. Adalikwu for his perseverance and dedication to fulfilling the vision of MOWCA’s founding members, fifty years after its establishment. “Your relentless efforts in encouraging African nations to harness the potential of their maritime resources are commendable,” she praised. She also expressed her full support for Dr. Adalikwu’s efforts to achieve the goals of the organization and urged him to continue pushing for the transformation of MOWCA into AMO, which would enable Africa to speak with one voice on maritime issues, given the support from key partners such as AfDB, the AU, and AAMA.