A three-day conference entitled “A New Awakening for Africa’s Maritime Industry” brought together experts from over 30 countries’ maritime sectors to Mombasa on October 3, the agenda being drafting a unified approach in addressing the African maritime sector.
So far individual countries have failed to utilize their maritime potential to its fullest and, as many experts believe, the time has come to act together to become more competitive on the market and spark interest for investments.
“African countries have had a low impact in the world’s maritime industry. This conference will help us deliberate on a strategic take-off in an integrated approach which will benefit the continent more,” allAfrica cites Kenya Maritime Authority director General Nancy Karigithu as saying prior to the conference.
According to her, the conference will pave the way for advancing Africa’s maritime agenda as per the African Maritime Transport Charter adopted by the African Union in 2010.
The conference is also expected to tackle issues such as legal protection of African resources, shipbuilding, oil and gas exploration etc.
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World Maritime News Staff, October 5, 2012