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Nigeria’s Paul Adalikwu has secured a resounding second term as Secretary General of the Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa, an intergovernmental body established in 1975 (originally as MINCONMAR) to coordinate, promote and develop cost-effective maritime transport and safety across 25 member states.
He pledged deeper inclusivity and stronger collaboration to unlock Africa’s vast blue economy potential.
Adalikwu’s re-election was unanimously endorsed at the 19th General Assembly of the 25-member regional maritime body, held in Banjul, The Gambia.
Ministers and heads of delegations took turns to commend what they described as transformative leadership over the past four years, voting him back into office for another four-year term on February 19, 2026.
Chairman of MOWCA and The Gambia’s Minister of Transport, Works and Infrastructure, Ebrima Sillah, congratulated Adalikwu, describing the renewed mandate as “well deserved and based strictly on merit.” He noted that under Adalikwu’s watch, MOWCA has strengthened West and Central Africa’s relevance within the global maritime ecosystem through strategic engagements across Africa and beyond.
Ghana’s Minister of Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, praised Adalikwu’s “exceptional leadership qualities,” saying maritime trade, central to imports and exports, now enjoys greater policy attention across member states.
He added that Ghana has intensified efforts to process up to 50 percent of its cocoa locally into chocolate, signalling a shift toward value addition within the region.
In his acceptance remarks, Adalikwu reaffirmed his commitment to cost-effective and environmentally sustainable shipping while advancing an African-led blue economy agenda aimed at diversification and economic growth. He promised broader participation of both coastal and land-linked countries in maritime affairs, with continued technical support for port development and dry port infrastructure.
He also pledged to sustain the push for MOWCA’s transformation into the African Maritime Organisation (AMO), a move designed to unify Africa’s voice in global maritime governance.
Under his first tenure, MOWCA deepened maritime security cooperation in the Gulf of Guinea, strengthening implementation of the Yaoundé Architecture, promoting ISPS Code compliance, supporting naval capacity enhancement, and advancing community intelligence systems. Through the CINFOCOM initiative, real-time information sharing improved, contributing to significant reductions in piracy incidents reported by the International Maritime Bureau during certain periods.
The organisation also promoted regional adoption of anti-piracy frameworks such as Nigeria’s SPOMO Act and supported successful prosecutions in countries including Nigeria and Togo.
On human capital development, Adalikwu secured a $1.3 million training partnership with Indonesia for 96 seafarers from member states and expanded cooperation with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) through formal agreements targeting professional development and blue economy growth.
He further revived long-stalled initiatives, including the proposed Regional Maritime Development Bank, while championing projects such as a Regional Maritime Fund, an Integrated Sub-Regional Coast Guard Network, a Regional Maritime Code, and a regional cabotage shipping framework to boost intra-African trade under AfCFTA.
The Assembly, which coincided with MOWCA’s 50th anniversary, also elected Counsel Olimatou Danso Malang, Director General of the Gambia Maritime Administration, as Chairman of the MOWCA Group of Experts for 2026–2028.
With a renewed mandate and unanimous backing, Adalikwu now faces the task of translating ambition into accelerated delivery for Africa’s maritime future.
