Experts Weigh Measures to Up Africa's Maritime
17 October 2012
AllAfrica.com (East African Business Week) - Maritime experts meeting in Mombasa have unveiled a raft of measures aimed at transforming Africa's Maritime industry to international standards.
The first ever Heads of African Maritime Administrations and Ship Registrars' Conference was held in Mombasa last week with industry players all in agreement that more needed to be done to move the industry to the next level.
One of the radical decisions arrived at during the conference was the establishment of a continental maritime bank to finance activities of the industry.
For a long time East Africa and the continent at last has not had a ratified maritime policy, hence the industry has been run on the whims of individual countries and therefore little to show in terms of development and returns.
Whereas the maritime industry has the potential to transport 70 per cent of the continental cargo, a paltry 18 per cent of this is transported owing to the haphazard manner in which the industry is run.
"The maritime industry in Africa has been largely disregarded. This is despite its potential in terms of transport, trade and fishing. It is about time that Africa stepped out to tap the potential in this sector," said Kenya's Transport Minister Amos Kimunya while officially opening the stakeholder workshop in Mombasa last week.
Category: Transport