The Secretary-General of the Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA), Dr Paul Adalikwu, has opened discussions with the Chief Executive of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), Ang Wee Keong, to strengthen cooperation on port modernisation, capacity building and the promotion of greener shipping practices across Nigeria and other MOWCA member states.
During a bilateral meeting held in Singapore, Adalikwu called for enhanced technical collaboration with the Singaporean maritime authorities and the replication of its efficient and technologically advanced port systems across MOWCA’s member countries.
Specifically, the MOWCA Secretary-General sought Singapore’s expertise in human capital development, infrastructure upgrade and maintenance, as well as cargo handling efficiency.
Adalikwu, who also spoke on the importance of a maritime single window and digitalisation of port processes, harped on the need for harmonisation and single document submission for seamless end-to-end processing of import and export procedures in ports.
Speaking on environment-friendly shipping, specifically addressing Green House Gas (GHG), Adalikwu told Keong that MOWCA is fully aligned with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) olicy to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from shipping by or around 2050.
He added that MOWCA is setting target timelines as advisory to member states to gravitate towards the target, like planning to reduce emissions by at least 20 per cent before 2030.
According to Adalikwu, a technical collaboration with the Singaporean Maritime and Ports Authority would help to achieve compliance with the IMO target by MOWCA states.
He also stated that a modernised port system, delivering efficient services, makes a great contribution to the development and sustenance of the blue economy at the countries and sub-regional levels.
Keong expressed the Singaporean government’s willingness to collaborate with MOWCA on all areas requested. He also stated his country’s optimism for the rapid maritime development of partnering MOWCA countries
