Africa move against dumping of nuclear, toxic waste at sea
In a concerted effort to ensure that African Oceans are not overexploited and also not seen as a dumping ground for dangerous materials, participating countries at the just concluded Conference of the Association of Heads of African Maritime Administrations (AAMA) have agreed on the need for Population, assets and critical infrastructure protection from maritime pollution by prevention of dumping of toxic and nuclear wastes.
This was contained in the communiqué of the association released at the weekend at the end of the conference which held in Abuja, Nigeria.
The body of all administrators of maritime regulatory bodies came up with the position as one of the major ways to safeguard the future of maritime wealth in the continent alongside other pertinent positions.
Members of the Association consequently agreed to devote concerted efforts and planning to pursue the enhancement of wealth creation and regional and international trade performance through maritime-centric capacity and capability building while ensuring the minimization of environmental damage and expedited recovery from catastrophic events.
These, they observed should be taken into cognizance as well as prevention of hostile and criminal acts at sea, by coordination/harmonization of the prosecution of offenders and improvement of Integrated Coastal Zone/Area Management in Africa, if the continent is to grow its maritime trade.
Meanwhile, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and safety Agency, NIMASA who was elected as the Chairman of the Association of African Maritime Administrations (AAMA) has stated that the task of leading the African Maritime Administrators is enormous but there is the need to collaborate with one another to ensure that the African Oceans and seas are not over exploited to the detriment of the continent
Dakuku took over from Mr. Sobantu Tilayi, the acting Chief Executive Officer of South African Maritime and Safety Agency (SAMSA), who has been the acting Chair of the association since 2013.
