Paul Adalikwu urges stronger collaboration to tackle Africa’s maritime challenges

Dr Paul Adalikwu, secretary-general of the Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA), has called for deeper collaboration among African maritime bodies to address safety, security, and environmental challenges confronting the continent’s shipping sector.
Speaking at the 15th Port State Control Committee (PSCC) meeting of the Abuja Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Conakry, Guinea, which held from October 6 to 9, 2025, Adalikwu said such cooperation was essential to enhance Africa’s visibility in global maritime governance.
The MOWCA head said the meeting, coming shortly after the 8th Association of African Maritime Administrations (AAMA) conference in Monrovia, Liberia, represented a critical opportunity to build momentum in strengthening maritime governance across the continent.
“As we meet again under the Abuja MoU umbrella, it is my utmost desire that we take advantage of these opportunities to foster partnerships and collaboration in addressing maritime challenges that deny us visibility in global discussions,” he said.
Adalikwu identified safety, security, and marine environment protection in the Gulf of Guinea and African ports as shared priorities for MOWCA and the Abuja MoU. He said both organisations must continue to cooperate through data and information sharing, leveraging MOWCA’s policy framework and the Abuja MoU’s technical enforcement mechanisms.
He also drew attention to new challenges such as decarbonisation and emission reduction, saying they “add to the already existing issues and demand that we double our efforts in addressing them.”
The secretary-general lamented the persistent funding constraints faced by both organisations due to poor or delayed member-state contributions. While commending countries that consistently met their obligations, he urged others to “up their game” to sustain ongoing programmes.
Adalikwu further emphasised the economic implications of unsafe or insecure ports, warning that such conditions could discourage foreign vessels and weaken trade volumes.
“If our ports are not deemed safe and secure to receive foreign-going vessels, it will affect our international trade and, by implication, our GDP,” he said. “It is therefore important that we continue to improve our port infrastructure to attract international tonnage.”
He concluded by wishing participants “fruitful and result-based engagements” as the meeting deliberated on strategies to strengthen port state control and regional cooperation.