Secretary General of the Maritime Organization of West and Central Africa, Dr Paul Adalikwu has called on African countries to collaborate more among themselves by
investing more in maritime technology and infrastructure to harness the benefits of blue economy
Speaking in Lagos where he delivered a paper at the Nigerian Navy 5th International Maritime Conference/ Regional Maritime Exercise, Adalikwu called for deployment of satellite technologies, promotion of information sharing to safe guard common maritime interest of Africa.
The MOWCA SG who identified blue economy as a viable economic leeway for the continent listed limited resources; weak instittutionall capacities; weak legal and regulatory framework;political instability;transnational crime networks involving drug trafficking, human smuggling and environmental degradation as challenges facing some African countries
Speaking on the theme ” Promoting the Blue Economy Through International Cooperation on Maritime Security in Africa ” he urged African countries to leverage on their bilateral, trilateral and multilateral bodies to foster collaboration for maritime security through specialised technical bodies to achieve combined maritime security forces at various levels
Adalikwu also suggested a replication of Operation Atalanta, which is an European Union operation launched in December 2008 as a collective initiative of its Member States in support of United Nations Security Council Resolutions to fight Somali piracy at source, when the crisis was at its peak.
Not leaving the task of evolving a better blue economy to state actors alone, Adalikwu said sustained public and private collaborations leading to intelligence exchange, establishment of multifaceted patrols and implementation of international conventions that promote maritime security and economy
He advised state and non state actors in maritime security to continually implement the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) which was adopted in 1982,which lays down a comprehensive regime of law and order in the world’s oceans and seas establishing rules governing all users and the international ship and port facility security (ISPS) code
Speaking on the deep blue project which the Nigerian government embarked upon since June 10 2021,Adalikwu commended that the project has resulted in enhanced maritime security in Nigeria and the entire Gulf of Guinea.
