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The Chairman, Association of African Maritime Administration, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has called for increased representation of the continent on the International Maritime Organisation’s Council and secretariat.
Peterside, who made the appeal when he led a delegation of some members of AAMA executive committee to meet with the IMO Secretary-General, Mr. Kitack Lim, at the organisation’s headquarters in London, said that there was the need for Africa’s proportionate representation to be commensurate with the size of the continent’s membership of the body.
“You will agree with me that the number of African nations on the council of the IMO is disproportionate to the size of the continent’s representation at the global maritime body. Therefore, to drive Africa’s maritime sector’s development agenda, there is a need for a proportionate and effective representation of the continent on the council and at the secretariat,” he said.
Peterside, who is also the director-general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, noted the various initiatives embarked upon by the AAMA leadership, including cooperation by the member nations in capacity building to impact on the continent’s maritime sector.
While commending the IMO for the technical support so far extended to members on the continent, he solicited for a Memorandum of Understanding between the organisation and AAMA to have an integrated position, adding that this would aid a lot of African countries needing technical support.
In his response, Lim commended the African maritime administrations for their high level of organisation and a proactive leadership of AAMA with a drive towards ensuring that the maritime sector on the continent remained viable.
