Indonesia offers $1.3m maritime scholarship to boost seafarers’ competence in West, Central Africa
The government of Indonesia has approved maritime training scholarships worth $1.3 million for the Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA).
The fund will support the training of 96 persons in two separate programmes.
Paul Adalikwu, secretary-general of MOWCA, confirmed the development after signing an agreement with Indonesian authorities. He said the training slots would be shared among member states of the organisation.
According to him, one of the courses is a Training of Trainers (TOT), based on the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) model course 6.09, which focuses on training instructors in the maritime field.
The second programme is designed for the assessment, examination and certification of seafarers. It is based on IMO Model Course 3.12 and targets personnel from maritime administrations, training institutions responsible for certification, and officers involved in onboard assessments.
Adalikwu said the training programmes would be conducted in four batches of 24 persons each.
The TOT programme is scheduled for October 11 to 26, 2025, while the second batch will run from November 1 to 16, 2025.
For the IMO 3.12 training, the first batch is scheduled from October 18 to November 2, 2025, and the second batch from November 15 to 30, 2025.
“The objective of the training programmes is to ensure that Certificates of Competence issued to seafarers from the MOWCA region are fully compliant with the provisions of the Standard of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) Convention,” Adalikwu said.
He added that the scholarships would cover the total cost of the programmes, including air transport, accommodation, tuition fees, and per diems.
The MOWCA head also said maritime ministers in the region had been notified of the opportunities and eligibility conditions, which include drug-free confirmation tests for applicants.
He noted that submissions must be made by September 15, 2025.
Adalikwu described the scholarship as another milestone aimed at boosting the competence of seafarers and instructors in the region.
He said MOWCA’s academic institutions — the Regional Maritime University in Ghana, the Regional Academy of Science and Technology of the Seas (ARSTM) in Côte d’Ivoire, and the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron — would benefit from the training.
The Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA) is an intergovernmental body established in 1975 to promote cooperation in maritime transport, port management, and shipping among 25 member states.
Headquartered in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, MOWCA works with global partners like the IMO to improve seaborne trade, port efficiency, and compliance with international maritime standards.
