Blue Africa Conference, WESTACA Conference Agenda, Bilingual English/French Book
21 August 2026 Press Release
It was a pleasure to attend the inaugural #Blue #Africa Conference and Exhibition last week at the #Lagos #Intercontinental #Hotel, organized by the #Bahari #Network and the Maritime Organization of West and Central Africa (#MOWCA). Speakers included #Dr. #Paul #Adalikwu (#Secretary-General, #MOWCA); #Tom #Kirkwood (CEO) and #Mudzthe #Phiri (#Exec. Dir., #BahariNetwork); #Ebrima #Sillah (#Minister of Transport, Works & Infrastructure, Gambia); #Emmanuel #Lansana (#MinofTransport, Sierra Leone); #Buobacar #Siddy #Camara (#MaritimeSecurity, Guinea); #Mam #Pateh #Dampha (#GambiaPortAuthority); #Badi #Lydie (#NationalPortAuthority, Cameroon); #Dr. #Jethro #Brooks (#RegionalMaritimeUniversityGhana); #Combes #Yaho #Frederic #Olivier (#ARSTM, Ivory Coast); and #Colonel #Kouassi #Yao #Julien (#Director-General, #MaritimeAffairs, Ivory Coast).
Other attendees included #Capt. #Sunday #Umoren (#AbujaMoU); #Sidi #Aly #Mohamedou (#Mauretania #MaritimeAffairs); #Daniel #Inyang (#Igun #Africa); #Rowland #Tantoh (#PMAWCA); #Stanley #Oro (#BahariNetwork); #Prof. #David #Aworawo and #Dr. #Ege #Emmanuel (#UniversityofLagos); and #Abiodun #Cheke of the #Norwegian #Fishing #Council Nigeria.
The keynote address was given by Nigeria’s Marine and Blue Economy Minister, Gboyega Oyetola. The meeting hosted five panel discussions and one workshop session. Several new ideas floated around the room reflecting the dawning reality that Africa is gearing up national and regional governance of its ocean resources for local and global relevance. It is well known that the continent is blessed with the most abundance of critical minerals and the youngest demographics on the planet.
Nigeria, by 2050, will become the third most populous country in the world. Already, the eyes of its youth population are opening to overdue leadership expectations, as evidenced by events in the country during the past week in an off-cycle election in #Osun #State. Imperious politicians were reminded that people power can trump political rascality and wayward behaviour.
Then, the Nigerian Shippers Council assumed a hard-won elevation as the port economic regulator of Nigeria with the signing of the #Nigerian #Port #Economic #Regulatory #Agency (#NPERA) Bill into law. Henceforth, the maritime industry may witness stronger policy implementation in favour of empowered indigenous operators versus the former dispensation when the lack of a regulator gave room for undue advantage to foreign shipping lines.
Hence, the conference coincided with potential developments in the #blue #economy and #AfCFTA space that should position African countries for better beneficiation of its ocean resources, including the new enforcement initiative against #IUU fishing trawlers by which offenders are banned not only in the offended littoral state’s waters but all over the region by reporting both the names and characteristics of the ship, not just the name alone.
Previously, offenders often changed the name of the offending ship, crossed the border, and applied to fish in neighbouring country waters, blindsiding the authorities which were not privy to their crimes next door.
The conference also furnished opportunity to finetune the agenda of the #West #and #Central #Africa (#WESTACA) #Coastal #Ferry #Conference #and #Exhibition slated for mid-November 2026 in Lagos. Delegates from #Liberia, #Ghana, #Ivory #Coast, #Gambia, #Sierra #Leone, and #Mauritania will make presentations on the port infrastructure and administrative preparations being made in their countries to facilitate cross-border ferry services along the #Dakar-Luanda coastline which will increase intra-regional trade among the 655m combined population of the ECOWAS and ECCAS countries.
An upcoming Bilingual English and French Book Project focused on the river systems of West and Central Africa will showcase their #foreign #direct #investment potentials and inland water transport and cross-border direct sea links prospects of the regional and AfCFTA markets.
The train of Africa’s future developmental path seems to be moving from the West’s age-long imperial designs on criticality and China’s ravenous appetite for filched resources to new aspirations of local beneficiation and control through value-addition at source. The ETD is happening now while the ETA is a moving target.
#BlueAfricaConferenceandExhibition #BahariNetwork #MOWCA #ECOWAS #ECCAS #RMU #ARSTM #MinofMarineandBlueEconomy #AbujaMoU #PMAWCA #UniversityofLagos #LJMU #NorwegianFishingCouncilNigeria #NIMASA #NPERA #NPA
No responses yet