The Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA) has appealed to the United States government to lift the restriction placed on some member countries allegedly involved in illicit shipping activities.
The Secretary General, Dr Paul Adalikwu, made the appeal when he led a delegation of MOWCA to the U.S Embassy in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, for a strategic consultation.
The meeting was aimed at promoting seamless participation of MOWCA countries in international trade. Adalikwu reiterated the organisation’s commitment to best ethical and lawful maritime practices.
He also highlighted the organisation’s interest in promoting the International Ship and Port facility Security (ISPS) code, which aims at enhancing security of vessels and their ports of call.
He expressed the commitment of MOWCA in promoting friendly, safe and cost-effective shipping without any encumbrance that may limit the economic potential of member countries.
Adalikwu recalled the U.S. Department of State’s willingness to support MOWCA’s effort for preventive maritime security through the establishment of the Centre for Information and Communication (CINFOCOM) with the aim of ensuring a maritime situational awareness within the member states’ waters.
He said the organisation was committed to training and retraining of maritime practitioners and experts to enhance the human capital capabilities of member states.
According to him, CINFOCOM will help to prevent transnational crimes committed at sea such as sanction evasion by North Korea and other state actors, who exploit poor enforcement and circumvent the United Nations and U.S. trade restrictions.
He said enhanced CINFOCOM activities would tackle infractions like money laundering, illegal arms and drug trafficking, piracy, illegal oil bunkering and crude oil theft along African coasts.
Responding, the U.S. Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire, Jessica Davis Ba, recalled that the U.S. signed the maritime law enforcement agreement in Abidjan in February 2024 to facilitate cooperative maritime law enforcement activities to identify, combat, prevent and interdict illicit transnational maritime activities.
She sought to know the active MOWCA member states, including land-linked countries for clearer identification. The ambassador, however, advised MOWCA to share a prioritised list of its expectations with the political and economic officer of the embassy.
