INTERNATIONAL: During this year’s annual conference held in Edinburgh, the International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI) took the opportunity to explore and debate the question of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) with the ambition of taking concrete steps to enhance its own representation and that of the marine insurance community more generally.

South African marine scientist, Dr Obakeng Molelu has taken up a position with the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA) as the Science–Policy Programme Coordinator.

COTE D’IVOIRE: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has strongly supported a call by the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) urging countries in Africa to stop borrowing loans backed by their natural resources.

KENYA: During a four-day tour, president of Kenya, William Ruto said that the government would be escalating investments in aquaculture in the Nyanza Region to stimulate the economy.

SOUTH AFRICA: The Port of Mossel Bay’s slipway and cradle capacity will benefit from a refurbishment project that will increase the capacity from 200 to 500 tons after the conclusion of a feasibility study to rehabilitate the facility.

A Stimson Centre report published in July this year aims to offer governments of West African states and the People’s Republic of China clear, concise, and actionable recommendations to foster sustainable fisheries management and counter IUU fishing in the Gulf of Guinea and beyond.

SOUTH AFRICA: The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment DFFE released a 35-page document outlining the appeal decisions for the hake deep-sea trawl sector this week and has given unsatisfied stakeholders 180 days to launch judicial review processes.

SOUTH AFRICA: Rumours that the current Acting Chief Executive Officer of the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) had resigned and was serving out her notice period have been confirmed and the maritime industry will be anticipating that the Authority uses this opportunity to finalise the process to appoint a permanent CEO.