Today, 25 March 2022, Dr. Paul Adalikwu, Secretary General of the Maritime Organisation for West and Central Africa (MOWCA) paid a visit to the Cameroon National Shippers’ Council in Douala.  His delegation that was made up of his close collaborators, the UASC Secretary General and officials from the Cameroon Ministry of Transport, was received by Mr. Younouss Soungui, CNSC Deputy General Manager deputising for the General Manager, Mr. Auguste Mbappe Penda, unavoidably absent. This was on the occasion of his very first tour of partner institutions since his ascension to the helm of MOWCA’s secretariat.

Taking office at a time when his organisation needs new impetus to face current challenges, Dr. Paul Adalikwu had talks with other stakeholders of Cameroon’s maritime transport sector, amongst whom the Secretary General of the Union of African Shippers’ Councils (UASC), the Minister of Transport and the Director General of the Port Authority of Douala. This first visit was an occasion for him to throw some light on the key activities he hopes to undertake in his tenure. The SG stated that the missions of MOWCA are to identify the needs of shippers and seek solutions to them. MOWCA is equally out to partner with member states and assist them in order to reposition their internal capacities while serving as a link between these states and the global community.

Better placed to interact with the IMO and other international organizations, MOWCA can table some of these issues and borrow technical assistance to better develop Africa’s maritime transport sector. He hopes to build on the legacy of his predecessors, two of whom were from Cameroon, as he looks forward to necessary support from Shippers’ councils and competent authorities of the West and Central African sub-regions.

Following an exchange of courtesies, MOWCA SG, accompanied by some officials of the Ministry of Transport, were given a brief presentation of CNSC’s missions recapped in an audiovisual production. His visit ended with a tour of the Douala Maritime Museum; a prominent tourist attraction located in the administrative headquarters of the city of Douala, erected by the CNSC.