Addressing weaknesses in Africa’s Port State Control

Recognising the knowledge gaps in implementing and enforcing conventions

NIGERIA: A new five-year programme will train some 200 Port State Control officials across West and Central Africa to address knowledge gaps in the implementation and enforcement of relevant conventions and in the understanding of international best practices.

Signed at the end of June, the Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control for West and Central African Region (Abuja MoU), with the support of Lloyd’s Register Foundation, formally launched a five-year regional capacity building programme aimed at promoting greater awareness of the strategic importance of Port State Control and encouraging sustained policy support for its effective implementation.

“For too long, Port State Control in Central and West Africa has been characterised by knowledge. By ensuring that ships calling at the region’s ports comply with internationally recognised safety, environmental and labour standards, we can build resilient marine supply chains, create safe and sustainable jobs, and support local ocean economies,” said Captain Sunday Umoren, Secretary-General, Abuja MoU.

The programme seeks to enhance the knowledge, skills, and operational capabilities of Port State Control Officers throughout the region, thereby reinforcing efforts to uphold maritime safety, safeguard seafarers’ welfare, protect the marine environment, and strengthen the effectiveness and integrity of the Port State Control regime across West and Central Africa.

Workshop announces way forward

The project commenced with an inaugural ceremony and the official opening of the Abuja MoU Regional Workshop for Directors-General/ Chief Executive Officers and Heads of Port State Control in Lagos, Nigeria.

Supported by Lloyd’s Register Foundation and led by Abuja MoU, the project responds to practical challenges affecting Port State Control in the region, including uneven inspection coverage, inconsistent inspector capability, regulatory implementation gaps, and the need for stronger transparency, data quality and quality assurance systems.

Over the five-year period, the project will support targeted training based on the train-the-trainer model for up to 200 Port State Control Officers, establish a regional mentorship model between high-performing and developing inspection administrations, and further support national roadmaps for the ratification, domestication, implementation and enforcement of key International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions.

Port State Control is a critical second line of defence against unsafe, polluting and non-compliant ships. While the Abuja MoU region has made important progress, inspection activity and compliance with the regional minimum target of inspecting 15% of foreign ship calls remain uneven across Member States.

The programme will also strengthen regional coordination, inspectors’ professional development, regulatory harmonisation, inspection consistency, integrity in maritime operations and data-driven decision-making. It will draw lessons from mature Port State Control regimes, including the Paris and Tokyo MoUs, while adapting them to the legal and institutional realities of West and Central Africa.

“Nearly half of Africa’s population is under 20 years old. To support this large, young demographic in entering the seafaring workforce, we need to ensure we are developing a skills base that can keep pace with the demands of a rapidly transitioning maritime industry. By facilitating safer outcomes for vessels and seafarers, we hope this project with Abuja MoU will contribute to wider system transformation, helping Africa realise its potential within the wider ocean economy,” said Sam Megwa, Africa Lead, Lloyd’s Register Foundation.