The Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA) has moved to foster collaboration and synergy among maritime training institutions across the region, aiming to bridge the human capital gap and meet global standards.

Secretary General, MOWCA, Dr Paul Adalikwu, identified the rising global standards for training and certification as attainable through synergies that would open opportunities for certification recognition, leading to international maritime job placements for African youths.

Speaking at the opening session of a four day exchange visit of the Regional Maritime University (RMU), Accra Ghana and the Academie Regionale Des Sciences Et Techniques De La Mer, Abidjan to the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, Adalikwu said with 90 per cent of the region’s trade carried by sea, its capacity to fully harness the benefits of the vast domain depends largely on the quality of human capital it develops.

While expressing optimism for progress through synergy, Adalikwu identified some maritime training challenges to include digital transformation, emerging maritime technologies, decarbonisation and environmental compliance as well as maritime security concerns in the Gulf of Guinea.

According to Adalikwu, the collaboration will provide a unique platform to harmonise curricula and training standards, promote faculty and student exchanges, develop joint certification programmes aligned with international standards, strengthen regional identity in maritime education and training as well as share infrastructure, research outputs, and best practices.

He said MOWCA remains firmly committed to supporting initiatives that enhance maritime capacity and institutional collaboration across member states.

Adalikwu said this aligns with the organisation’s broader strategic priorities, which include the development of a skilled maritime workforce, promotion of safe, secure, and efficient shipping, strengthening regional integration and providing the needed capacity for the promotion of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and Intra-African trade.

He added that the synergy will further research into Africa’s contribution in finding solutions to the discussion on alternative fuel energy sources and supporting the establishment of sustainable maritime institutions, including initiatives such as the proposed Regional Maritime Development Bank

Acting Rector of MAN Oron, Dr Kevin Okonna, commended the exchange visit hosted in Nigeria, designed to establish collaboration among the maritime training institutions in the region and across the globe.

Okonna recalled that in November 2025, MAN Oron hosted officials from RMU Ghana where a memorandum of understanding was entered and close to full consumption.

He also stated that Nigeria’s premier maritime training institute visited the Liberian Maritime Administration for a similar synergy aimed at enhancing the global recognition of certification of the institutions.

Okonna commended MOWCA for enhancing the drive to harmonise maritime education and training in the West and Central African region, while expressing confidence that the discussions and interactions will further promote knowledge in areas like the Standard of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) as amended.

Okonna expressed belief that the synergies would lead to lecturer and students exchange, social cultural interaction and promotion of unity in the region’s maritime ecosystem.

Acting Vice Chancellor of the RMU, Dr Jethro Brooks, lauded MOWCA’s intervention and called on all training institutions in the region to emulate the new drive for rapid development of the African continent.

He added that the challenges of Africa are better addressed through collaboration than isolation, shared resources, aligned training curricula and harmonies.

He stated that RMU stands in a unique position to advance the objectives of the meeting for improved, highly skilled and globally competitive human capital for maritime education and training in Africa and beyond.

Director General of the Abidjan-based Regional Academy of Marine Sciences and Technology, Coulibally Kareem, lauded the MOWCA leadership for laying a cornerstone for a sustainable relationship to grow African maritime training for relevance at the international stage.