Created on May 7, 1975 in Abidjan at the initiative of the late Félix Houphouët-Boigny, the Ministerial Conference of West and Central African States on Maritime Transport (CMEAOC/TM) brings together 25 member states (20 coastal and 5 landlocked). An intergovernmental organization, it coordinates regional maritime policy and promotes sectoral integration. Initially based on a protectionist approach, it evolved in the 1990s towards a liberalized model, consistent with the rules of the agreements on customs tariffs and trade (GATT)…
… Becoming the West and Central African Maritime Organization (MOWCA), the institution, under the leadership of Secretary General Dr Paul Adalikwu (in office since 2021), continues its mission through several key initiatives, such as: the creation of a Regional Maritime Development Bank, a Regional Transport Observatory, an Integrated Coast Guard Network, a Regional Maritime Code, a Regional Maritime Fund, the promotion of a regional cabotage company, as well as the empowerment of merchant navies.
The current strategic vision aims to transform MOWCA into an African Maritime Organization (OMA), in order to extend its mandate to the continental scale and optimize Africa’s maritime economic potential in support of sustainable development.