The Secretary General of the Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA), Dr. Paul Adalikwu has strengthened the organisation’s maritime capacity development drive through a partnership with the Government of Indonesia, resulting in successfully training instructors and assessors from member States.
The collaboration followed the signing of a Partnership Grant Agreement between MOWCA and Indonesia’s Ministry of Transportation, aimed at strengthening human capital development within the African maritime sector.
Under the agreement, Indonesia fully sponsored a Training of Trainers (TOT) course based on IMO Model Course 6.09, and a Training for Assessment, Examination and Certification of Seafarers (TOE) based on IMO Model Course 3.12.
To further strengthen the partnership and assess the progress of the programme, Dr. Adalikwu paid an official visit to Jakarta from 11th to 19th October 2025.
The training, held at two institutions in Jakarta, the Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Pelayaran (STIP) and the Balai Besar Pendidikan Penyegaran dan Peningkatan Ilmu Pelayaran (BP3IP) ran in two batches, each lasting two weeks and the government of Indonesia covered all costs, including air transport, accommodation, tuition, and per diems.
During the visit, Adalikwu held high-level meetings with senior Indonesian officials, including the Minister of Transportation represented by the Secretary of the Directorate General of Sea Transportation and the Director of Human Resources Development.
He also toured the training facilities at STIP and BP3IP, where he interacted with course participants and expressed appreciation to the Indonesian Government for its generosity and hospitality.
In his remarks, he lauded the Chairperson of MOWCA, Her Excellency Ingrid Ebouka-Babackas, Minister of Transport and Merchant Marine of the Republic of Congo. He commended Indonesia’s leadership in maritime education and called for the sustenance of the partnership beyond the current training programme.
He further used the visit to introduce MOWCA’s ongoing transformation into the African Maritime Organisation (AMO), a continental body modeled after the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) which will serve as Africa’s collective maritime voice at the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
He emphasised the similarities between Indonesia’s vast archipelagic geography and the maritime challenges faced by many African coastal States, noting that both regions stand to benefit from closer cooperation under the South-South Cooperation framework.
Discussions during the visit also focused on decarbonisation, shipbuilding, ferry safety, and cadet placement. Indonesia shared insights into its national strategy, highlighting the country’s progress toward biofuel and LNG-powered engines, the adoption of electric port equipment, and the integration of decarbonization into its “Golden Indonesia 2045” agenda.
On ship building and vessel maintenance, the host delegation confirmed that Indonesia has several shipyards capable of constructing supply vessels, ferries, and bulk carriers, while encouraging future cooperation through its Ministry of Industry.
The Secretary General also shared MOWCA’s regional efforts to address ferry accidents which have claimed lives and property in several member States and invited Indonesia to participate in the Regional Workshop on Ferry Safety scheduled to hold in the Democratic Republic of Congo in April 2026, following earlier editions in Gabon (2024) and Nigeria (2025).
Addressing the trainees during an interactive session, the Secretary General commended their conduct and urged them to apply the knowledge gained to improve maritime training in their home institutions. Participants from 16 member States praised MOWCA for securing the grant and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to benefit from Indonesia’s world-class maritime training environment.
Adalikwu reaffirmed MOWCA’s support for Indonesia’s candidature for Category “C” of the IMO Council during the forthcoming Assembly in London in November 2025, describing Indonesia as a strong maritime ally and a model for developing countries.
In return, Indonesia expressed appreciation for the visit and pledged to sustain the partnership through continued collaboration in cadet placement, lecturer exchanges, ferry safety, shipbuilding, and green shipping initiatives.
The visit ended with a graduation ceremony for the first batch of trainees, the presentation of certificates, and the signing of the Grant Agreement and Letter of Support from MOWCA endorsing STIP’s bid to become a recognised branch of the World Maritime University (WMU).
Participants in the programme included representatives from Cameroon, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, and regional maritime institutions such as the Regional Maritime University (Ghana), ARSTM (Côte d’Ivoire), Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT), and Limbe Nautical Arts and Fisheries Institute (Cameroon).
