Member states of the Intergovernmental Maritime body have been urged to develop and harmonize their national policies and strategies to a regional and continental level to enable the region achieve the African Dream Agenda 2063.
The Member states include Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The intergovernmental Maritime body is now expanding to the rest of the Eastern, Southern and Northern Africa.
The Principal Secretary, State Department for Shipping and Maritime Affairs, Mr. Shadrack Mwadime said there is need for the region to align its national and regional goals and ambitions to become maritime labour producing nations that will grow national maritime and blue economy industries.
“The region should strive to supply the global market where opportunities are abound for well-trained maritime professionals,” said Mwadime.
He said Kenya has already completed public stakeholder participation for both the national Maritime Transport Policy and Maritime Education Training Policy and will soon embark on a legal process to adopt the policies, which are expected to spearhead growth in the maritime sector.
The PS made the remarks today in a speech read on his behalf by the Secretary of Administration from the State Department for Shipping and Maritime Affairs, Mr. Isaiah Nakoru during the opening of the Regional Consultative Forum for Maritime Administrations and Maritime Training Institutions held at a Nairobi hotel.
The three-day forum brings together stakeholders involved in providing policy and administrative direction of the shipping and maritime industry and those educating and training seafarers and other industry personnel in the region.
Mr. Mwadime commended the Intergovernmental Standing Committee on Shipping (ISCOS) for spearheading the ongoing drafting of a Regional Maritime Transport Policy which will provide a coordinated approach for its member states and the Eastern region at large.
The PS at the same time, called upon stakeholders in the maritime sector to focus on what is happening globally at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) where key decisions are made with minimal African presentation.
“African countries must collaborate and work together to increase their participants at the International Maritime Organization Council,” he stressed.
Mwadime noted that the amendments to the IMO facilitation convention mandates public authorities to establish, maintain and use single window systems for the electronic exchange of information required on arrival, stay and departure of ships in ports from January 2024, terming it an important step towards acceleration of digitization in shipping.
Regarding the amendments, the PS told all maritime administrations and relevant agencies to ensure compliance to the IMO conventions and regulations which he termed play a key role in maritime trade facilitation.
Mr. Mwadime said for the region to meet the desired goal of a safe, secure, competitive and environmentally sound shipping and maritime industry by the maritime administrations, there is critical need for the supply of qualified and competent workforce, adding that without them the industry would not proper.
“For an efficient industry, there ought to be close symbiosis between the maritime administrations and the maritime Education and training institutions,” he emphasized.
In his remarks, the ISCOS Secretary General, Mr. Daniel Kiange said ISCOS has invited all Maritime training institutions and Maritime Administrations in the member States to discuss issues on capacity building and industry issues to enable the region come up with sustainable resolutions.
“The purpose of this forum is for the countries to compare notes, identify issues cross cutting in the region, have their programmes aligned, how they can share the major resources and to agree on how the nations can move as a region,” said Kiange.
He said the forum will also deliberate on how Bandari College and Mt. Kenya University and other institutions offering maritime courses can develop their regional capacity and use the same curriculum for training so that the trainees they produce can be competitive internationally.
He however, singled out seatime as one of the challenges facing the maritime training institutions in the region citing lack of ships for training as a major setback, as it only enables the institutions to impart theory knowledge and take students abroad for practicals.
“We need to revive shipping lines in the region to enable us have our own ships as we have institutions that can offer sea time for trainees. We have Kenya National Shipping line which can form a regional shipping line,” he added.
He at the same time, announced that the participants of the forums were also discussing on how they can raise funds for establishing a regional shipping, adding that the regions governments’ have not been getting taxes from exports of goods done on other ships.
The forum is organized by the Intergovernmental Standing Committee on Shipping (ISCOS)
By Bernadette Khaduli
