The Acting Rector of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Dr. Kevin Okonna, has called for stronger collaboration among maritime institutions and administrations across West and Central Africa to advance maritime education, training, and certification recognition within the region.
Okonna made the call during his closing remarks at the end of the inaugural exchange visit hosted by the Academy for the Secretary-General of the Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa, Dr. Paul Adalikwu, alongside delegates from regional maritime education and training institutions.
He expressed appreciation to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for approving and supporting the international engagement, describing the visit as a major step toward deeper regional cooperation in maritime training.
According to Okonna, the exchange visit exceeded expectations and provided an opportunity for participating institutions to share ideas, experiences, and strategies aimed at improving maritime education standards across West and Central Africa.
He noted that the interactions during the visit had strengthened ties among participating institutions and laid the foundation for sustained partnerships through future exchange programmes.
The Acting Rector also stressed the need for the outcomes of the visit and the expected communique to extend beyond maritime institutions to include maritime administrations within the sub-region.
According to him, such collaboration would help drive mutual recognition of certificates in line with the provisions of the International Maritime Organization’s International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW Convention), as amended.
Okonna emphasised that certificate recognition remains critical to improving employment opportunities for seafarers across the region.
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