Develop African maritime, come back for more slots at IMO council, Lim tells AAMA
The Secretary General of International Maritime Organisation (IMO), Mr. Kitack Lim has advised the delegation of Association of African Maritime Administration (AAMA), lead by the Chairman, Dr. Dakuku Peterside who paid his a courtesy visit to go back and work out policies that will grow inter regional trade using the bountiful navigable coasts around Africa.
He told the delegation which included Director General of Ghana Maritime Authority Mr. Kwame Owuaru, CEO of the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA), Mr. Sobantu Tilayi, others include the Executive Director Finance and Administration, NIMASA, Mr. Bashir Jamoh, the chairperson of African Maritime Advisory Group (AMAG), Azara Prempeh and Phimulani Myeni of South Africa.
Mr. Juvenal Shiundu, a Director in IMO of Kenya origin and Mr. William Azuh, Head of IMO technical section for Africa joined the Secretary General of IMO to receive the AAMA delegation.
The AAMA team also recently met with representatives of African countries at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), under the auspices of African Maritime Advisory Group (AMAG) at the IMO Headquarters in London.
The AAMA delegation had begged IMO boss for increased representation of the continent on the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Council and its Secretariat.
But Lim urged African Nations to continue working closely to remain a formidable block that would be of influence in decision making at the IMO, saying one of the ways to achieve such growth is by driving national fleet either by private or public investment.
Business Hilights recalls that no serious effort can be said to have been made to refloat the nation’s dead national shipping line by the present Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi and NIMASA.
This development has rendered Nigeria’s seaports a foreigner’s affair as there is not enough Nigerian flags competing with international shippers.
Mr. Kitack Lim noted that he is from a developing country which had made serious successes in growing local content in shipping and advised African maritime nations like Nigeria to learn more.
Earlier, Dr. Peterside who commended IMO for the technical support so far extended to members on the African continent, solicited for a Memorandum of Understanding between the IMO and AAMA to have an integrated position, adding that this would aid a lot of African countries needing technical support.
