Abuja MoU, Supported by Lloyd’s Register Foundation, Hosts Maritime DGs to Strengthen Port State Control Regime
The Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), and the Abuja Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control for West and Central Africa (Abuja MoU) will convene Directors-General, Chief Executive Officers of Maritime Administrations, Heads of Port State Control, and senior maritime regulators from 22 countries in Lagos from June 29 to July 1, 2026, for a high-level regional workshop aimed at strengthening maritime safety and regulatory compliance across West and Central Africa.
Supported by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation (LRF), the workshop is themed “A Future-Ready Port State Control Regime: Leadership, People, Governance, and Performance for Safer Maritime Systems.” It will bring together maritime leaders and policymakers to address critical challenges affecting Port State Control (PSC) implementation and develop strategies to enhance maritime safety, environmental protection, seafarers’ welfare, and sustainable shipping in the region.
The workshop represents the first strategic intervention under the Abuja MoU Port State Control Strengthening Programme, a five-year regional initiative designed to transform PSC performance across member states through leadership development, inspector capacity building, governance reforms, and enhanced regional cooperation.
Participants will deliberate on measures to strengthen leadership awareness of Port State Control responsibilities, induct newly appointed Directors-General and Heads of PSC, build consensus on the ratification and domestication of key international maritime conventions, and promote stronger political commitment and institutional ownership of PSC programmes.
The workshop will also address the need for a modern and future-ready Port State Control regime capable of responding to emerging safety, environmental, technological, and governance challenges confronting the global maritime industry.
Participants will seek to strengthen understanding of Port State Control as a strategic national responsibility, promote the ratification and domestication of relevant conventions of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), and improve member states’ preparedness for the IMO Member State Audit Scheme (IMSAS).
The meeting comes against the backdrop of persistent disparities in Port State Control performance across the Abuja MoU region. While PSC remains one of the most effective tools for eliminating substandard shipping and protecting the marine environment, only 16 of the organisation’s 22 member states currently conduct inspections consistently, while none regularly attains the regional target of inspecting 15 per cent of eligible foreign ship arrivals.
To address these gaps, discussions will focus on inspector development and workforce excellence, governance and integrity systems, quality assurance mechanisms, performance management, digital transformation, and data-driven decision-making. Participants will also examine opportunities for regional information sharing, enhanced cooperation among maritime administrations, and increased participation of women in Port State Control functions.
A key objective of the programme is to support the Abuja MoU’s vision that by 2030 all 22 member states will conduct PSC inspections, at least 16 countries will achieve the 15 per cent inspection benchmark, inspector competency will be significantly strengthened, governance systems improved, and member states better prepared for international maritime audits.
The programme forms part of a five-year capacity-building initiative secured by the Secretary-General of the Abuja MoU, Capt. Sunday Umoren, to support the training of policymakers and Port State Control Officers across the organisation’s member countries.
Participants are expected to endorse a Regional Port State Control Leadership Commitment aimed at supporting convention ratification and domestication, investing in inspector development, strengthening governance and integrity systems, advancing gender inclusion, improving regional cooperation and data sharing, and accelerating progress towards achieving the Abuja MoU’s inspection targets by 2030.
All delegates participating in the workshop will be fully sponsored by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, whose support is helping to advance capacity development, regulatory effectiveness, and maritime governance across West and Central Africa.
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